BC Shipping News - December/January 2013

INSIDE: MARINE SURVEYOR DIRECTORY

BC SHIPPING NEWS

Volume 2 Issue 10

www.bcshippingnews.com

December 2012/January 2013

Commercial Marine News for Canada’s West Coast.

Naval Architecture

Building a bridge between design and operations with ShipFare software

Marine Salvage

West Coast salvage: A 21st century view

Marine Surveys

Surveyors explain: pleasure craft, deepsea vessels and marine engineer surveys

Industry Insight

DEC/JAN 13 CP PM# 42161530 DEC/JAN 2013

Tim Ellis, Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C.

$4.95

12

0

74470 80667

7

Plus:

Fraser Surrey Docks’ VP excited by the next 50 years

December 2012/January 2013 On the cover: Capilano Maritime Design Ltd.’s LNG ro-ro ferry concept which used ShipFare software to determine the benefits of natural gas over diesel. Rendering courtesy of Coda Marine Design Inc.

Volume 2 Issue 10

Contents Cover Stories 37

Deepsea and underwater surveys On, over and under the sea

craft surveys 30 Pleasure Buyer beware engineer surveys 34 Marine Going beyond inspection

10 Industry insight Young enough to climb Jacob’s ladder, old enough to know better Marine surveyors need to be shipwrights, marine engineers, naval architects and diplomats...all traits inherently found in Ellis.

26 Surveyor directory

Members of the AMSBC This handy reference guide provides the contact information for marine surveyor members of the Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C.

Technology

47

Sludge contamination remedies

Fuel Right President Tim Rivard and colleague Bob Tatnall look at the benefits of filming amines to eradicate sludge that could be fouling up your marine diesel fuel system.

D E P A R T M E N T S

F E A T U R E S

Tim Ellis

6

News briefs / industry traffic

16

History lesson

19

Ports symposium

21

Ports & terminals

24

Marine salvage

39

Legal affairs

41

Marine investigations

44

Trade routes

50

LNG ferries

52

Naval architecture

Letters to the editor and news

Survey of the Alpha — by Lisa Glandt Northern Ports Symposium highlights development opportunities — by Dan Dibbelt Fraser Surrey Docks’ VP excited by the next 50 years — by Ray Dykes West Coast salvage: a 21st century view — by J.Spears and D.Mackenzie Must a ship owner pay for the negligence of an assist tug? — by James Vander Woude Forensics of the sea — by Jeroen De Haas and Han Wensink The Saint Lawrence Seaway — by Captain Stephen Brown The MF Boknafjord: the world’s largest gas ferry — from Rolls-Royce Building a bridge between design and operations — ShipFare software

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 3

BC SHIPPING NEWS

A great holiday gift idea!

December 2012/January 2013 Volume 2/Issue 10 Publisher McIvor Communications Inc. President & Editor Jane McIvor

Give a gift subscription and we’ll send a greetings and gift card on your behalf.

Contact BC Shipping News

T: 604-893-8800 / E: jane@bcshippingnews.com or visit:

www.bcshippingnews.com

Canadian K9 Detection, Security & Investigations Ltd. Explosives l Narcotics l Firearms Canine Detection services by the largest, full service Security and Canine Detection firm in Canada.

Contributing Writers Todd Braconnier Captain Stephen Brown Dan Dibbelt Ray Dykes Tim Ellis Lisa Glandt Jeroen De Haas Captain Andrew Korek Captain Don Mackenzie Philip Oldham Tim Rivard K.Joseph Spears Bob Tatnall James Vander Woude Han Wensink Advertising and Subscriptions Jane McIvor Phone: 604-893-8800 / Email: jane@bcshippingnews.com ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION Canada Two Years $69.95 Cdn*

One Year $37.50 Cdn* USA One Year $60.00 Cdn Other Countries One Year $75.00 Cdn Single copies Outside of Canada *Canadian rates add 12% HST

$4.95 Cdn* $6.00 Cdn

Security Consulting, Security Patrol and Investigations Services.

Subscribe online at www.bcshippingnews.com Contents copyrighted 2012 McIvor Communications Inc. 300 - 1275 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada V6H 1A6 Phone: 604-893-8800/Fax: 604-708-1920 E-mail: contact@bcshippingnews.com

Professional  Discreet  Certified

www.canadiank9.com

Telephone:(604) 254-3763 - Toll Free:866-540-DOGS (3647) E-mail: admin@canadiank9.com

4 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

International Standard Serial Number ISSN: 1925-4865 Published 10 times per year.

The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Publisher. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Giving credit where credit is due

W

e’ve reached a milestone! BC Shipping News is celebrating the end of its second year in publication. This is an important benchmark because, as any statistician will tell you, if you can make it past two years, your odds of success greatly improve. And based on feedback, we have now become an integral part of your source for information on the marine industry on the West Coast.

Without question, a key factor in the success of BC Shipping News has been the support we’ve received from all sectors of the industry and, given this momentous occasion, I think it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due — you!

You have written articles, sat for interviews, submitted photos and comments, Member of:

advertised and subscribed. Your support has been overwhelming and I thank you. BC Shipping News has gotten off to a great start on its goal of being a true voice for the industry by the industry.

It’s unfortunate that there’s not nearly enough space in this editorial to recognize all of the people who have significantly contributed to our success: • Industry leaders like Stephen Brown, Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, Zak Farid, Phill Nelson and Donna Spalding — without their positive response to the concept, BC Shipping News would have remained just that, a concept.

• Contributing writers like Ray Dykes, Joe Spears, Lisa Glandt, Syd Heal, Darryl Anderson and the entire gang at Bernard & Partners who have

consistently provided articles that are relevant, thoughtful and informative.

• Advertisers like Nanaimo Port Authority (and especially Doug Peterson for coming up with the idea of BC Shipping News in the first place), Canadian K9, CMC Electronics and a list that keeps growing who are seeing the results of consistent ad placement.

• Subscribers like Neville Hodgson from Sanko Kisen (our first) and Longshoreman James Knight (our most recent) who have made the long hours and tight deadlines all worthwhile.

Thanks to each of you. I look forward to our continued collaboration. Merry Christmas and all the best in 2013.

— Jane McIvor

Local traffic...

Thanks to Ken Pfister for submitting this photo of the Global Garland sitting just off Jack Point, Nanaimo. The Global Garland is a dry bulk carrier built in 2009 (by Hakodate Dock, Japan) and owned by NYK Global Bulk. The vessel is 176 metres in length with a 30-metre beam and gross tonnage of 19,817. She can reach a speed of 9.8 knots (average: 8.1 knots). (Details from www.marinetraffic.com.)

International Sailor’s Society Canada

Got a great photo? Send it to jane@bcshippingnews.com to be included in our new feature on ships visiting our local waters.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 5

INDUSTRY traffic BCIT Marine Campus co-ordinator honoured

L

Lieutenant (Navy) Jeff Otto (left) receives the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from Commodore David Craig, Commander Naval Reserves.

TRAVEL WITH THE INDUSTRY’S BEST...

Marine and corporate travel experts available 24/7.

If you’re looking for a Marine Travel Management Company to manage your marine & shipping travel, we offer the perfect solution.

Our multi-national buying power for marine, offshore and corporate travel, together with our local and global expertise, make us a perfect partner to meet your travel needs.

ATP Instone agents are worldwide travel experts specializing in the shipping and energy sectors. We understand the complexities of moving a diverse crew around the world and the challenges of finding efficient and effective travel for the marine industry.

Contact: Louise Kawaler ACTM, Director Canada Mobile: 604.329.1143 Email: Louise.Kawaler@atpi.com

www.atpi.com 6 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

ieutenant (Navy) Jeff Otto, co-op co-ordinator at the BCIT Marine Campus (BMC), has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Jeff received the honour at an investiture ceremony held at HMCS Discovery on October 16, 2012. In addition to his full-time role at the BMC, Jeff is currently a serving Officer of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve.

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to recognize and honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians like Jeff. Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein and Kyle Washington also received the medal at a separate ceremony as reported last month.

In 2010, Jeff took time away from BCIT to prepare and train for deploying as part of Operation Podium within the Port Security Unit and supporting the RCMP during the 2010 Olympic Games. In 2009, he was in Winnipeg as part of the Canadian Forces contingent lending assistance to the Province of Manitoba during the flood season of that year.

From January 2012 until this past August he filled the position of Acting Executive Officer (Second in Command) of HMCS Discovery, Vancouver’s Naval Reserve Division: a busy schedule on top of all his great work at the Marine Campus.

Congratulations Jeff . Well done and well-deserved!

Letter...

Re: Syd Heal’s The passing of the log carrier Hello, I am a Seaspan employee, had the pleasure of working on the King, the Pacer, the Queen, the Doris, the Challenger, the Carrier Princess and the Princess Superior.

Thoroughly enjoyed your article.

Saved it to show dad and wife.

All the best, and thanks, Kevin O’Brien

NEWS BRIEFS

D

avid Brander-Smith, Q.C., is perhaps best known in marine circles for his report on Tanker Safety and Marine Spills Response Capability. While the report was written in 1990 — over 20 years ago — it is still widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive reports on the issue and is still referenced today. Mr. Brander-Smith passed away peacefully in Vancouver on October 17, 2012.

He was 86 years old. Predeceased by his wife, June Brander-Smith in 2007, Brander-Smith leaves four daughters — Gail, Nora, Sandra and Cynthia — and nine grandchildren.

After serving overseas in the Canadian Navy and Merchant Service, surviving the torpedoing of the Nabob in 1944, he graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1950 and practised law at Bull Housser and Tupper, specializing in international maritime law. In 1989, he served as Chairman of the Public Review Panel on Tanker Safety and Marine Spills Response Capability and then went on to serve as a member of the Fraser River Sockeye Public Review Board. He was active on many professional and community boards including President of the Canadian Maritime Law Association, Chairman of the Directors’ Advisory Board of the Institute of Ocean Sciences and Chairman of the B.C. Arthritis Society.

Colin How joins Edoc as COO

E

doc Systems Group is pleased to announce that Colin How has joined the company as Chief Operations Officer. How will lead Edoc’s operations, organizational growth and scalability as the company expands into overseas markets.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Colin’s calibre joining our growing team,” said Ron deBruyne, CEO and Founder of Edoc. “His historical track record of success and his vision for the future of Edoc as we grow internationally is very exciting.”

Most recently, How served as COO, then subsequently Interim President/ CEO of Terapeak, a Victoria-based technology company that acted as the exclusive worldwide distributor of eBay’s data. Under How’s leadership Terapeak achieved record revenues, reducing churn by more than half, and signed a groundbreaking data partnership with Yahoo! Japan.

Previously, as founder, president and CEO of H2ST, How was selected as a finalist for Red Herrings’ Top 100, a list of North America’s most promising

www.gecomarine.com

Obituary: David Brander-Smith, Q.C.

Colin How, new COO for Edoc. new technology companies. H2ST’s flagship product, PiXPO, was awarded PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award.

How has been acknowledged for his entrepreneurial success with his inclusion in the Top 40 under 40 for British Columbia and Vancouver Island, and his nomination as a finalist for Ernst and Young’s emerging entrepreneur of the year.

Fleet technical management and permanent maintenance services.

Quality service, access to a huge pool of licensed marine engineers, 24-hour technical support and decent labour rates from a company that can take care of all your vessel’s technical needs.

GECO MARINE LTD. Contact: George Coman, Senior Engineer 604-988-4411 / george@gecomarine.com

Brander-Smith was an accomplished sailor, an avid traveller, an automobile aficionado, a well respected lawyer and a devoted family man and friend. Donations in David’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada or the B.C. Arthritis Society.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 7

INDUSTRY TRAFFIC Robert Allan design for the Amazon

A

thousand miles (1,600 km) up the Amazon River, the Port of Manaus has long attracted ocean-going vessels. In the 19th century they came for rubber, today the products are more varied with a dutyfree zone generating additional commerce. Other ports along the Amazon may be for a single commodity such as soyabeans.

Recently, the first of a series of Robert Allan Ltd.-designed ship-docking tugs was launched from the Estaleiros Rio Negro Ltda. (ERIN Shipyard). The tug was launched into the waters of the

Rio Negro at Manaus where it merges with the Solimões River to form the Amazon proper. This latest boat is a RAmparts25 with a 25-metre length and 10-metre beam. The hull has a molded depth of 4.19 metres and, with the additional depth of the Z-drives and skeg, a 4.55-metre draft.

Main propulsion for the new tug are a pair of Cummins Tier II, Cummins QSK38-M engines each delivering 1400 hp at 1800 rpm to Rolls-Royce US155 model azimuth drives. The new tug is fitted with a hawser winch and will be employed at the Itacoatiara Port of Hermosa Logistics, about 260 km down river from Manaus.

The vessel has tanks for 55,000 litres of fuel and 15,000 litres of water.

Accommodation is provided for a crew of up to eight people.

Thanks to Alan Haig-Brown for the submission through Cummins Hottips.

If you haven’t yet been to Alan’s website (www.haigbrown.com), it’s well worth a visit for the latest on Cummins products, vessel designs and deliveries from around the world.

Letter...

Re: Joe Spears’ The History of the RCMP Marine Services

Photos courtesy of Estaleiros Rio Negro Ltda. (ERIN Shipyard) and Cummins

RAL’s RAmparts25 on the Rio Negro at Manaus. Inset above: One of the tug’s two Cummins QSK38-M main engines.

com m e rci a l a nd m ar itim e law on c an ada's we s t coa s t.

W. Gary Wharton Mark W. Hilton Katherine A. Arnold David S. Jarrett

Nevin L. Fishman David K. Jones Catherine A. Hofmann Mark Tinmouth

Peter Swanson Neo J. Tuytel Connie Risi

associate counsel:

Lorna Pawluk

Joan Rush

Thomas S. Hawkins Tom Beasley Paul D. Mooney

Peter G. Bernard, QC (retired) tel: 6 04.681.1700 fax: 6 0 4 .6 8 1.17 8 8 emergency response: 604. 681 . 1 700 address: 1500–570 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C 3P1 website: www.bernardpartners.com

8 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

Dear Joe, My name is Jim Haycock, a proud brother to Kenn Haycock. I received a copy of your review on The History of the RCMP Marine Services, from my sister-in-law Jacquie Haycock, Kenn’s widow. On behalf of my family, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude. I will be taking copies of it to share with my mother and siblings, as I’m sure they will be as thrilled to read it as I was.

I know how important this book was to Kenn, as were his many other projects. Seeing it published is a great reminder to his family of his many accomplishments and is a true reflection of the passion he had for his work. Although Kenn wrote this book with the sole purpose of documenting the history of the marine unit, he would have been pleased with all of the recognition and support it has received. That has come from people like, Ken Burton, Peter Vassilopoulos, the rest of the RCMP family, and now you.

Sincerely, Jim Haycock

news briefs Open house at WCMRC highlights response capabilities

T

he Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) welcomed visitors to their Burnaby facility for an open house in mid-October. With staff on-hand to provide details of the equipment on display and explanations of their use, the event highlighted WCMRC’s oil spill response capabilities on marine waters.

Visitors could tour the warehouse to see shelves upon shelves of supplies, including various types of boom, sorbents, personal safety equipment and ancillary equipment; the mobile command and communications centre; the incident command room; and numerous boats and vehicles all prepared to be deployed at a moment’s notice. The Burnaby warehouse stores eight per cent of WCMRC’s inventory of equipment — the remainder can be found at their two other warehouses in Duncan and Prince Rupert as well as caches all along the coast.

Demonstrations were conducted on a frequent basis — skimmers, rope mop, anciliary equipment such as portable open-top containers and transfer pumps were all set up in the parking lot with staff available at each display to answer questions. Additonal areas demonstrated best practices for such operations as the decontamination process of clean-up crews and field operations for incident response teams.

The open house was a great way to learn about the capabilities of the WCMRC — if you missed it, visit their website (www. wcmrc.com) to learn more about spill preparedness.

Senior Business Analyst Toni Frisby was on hand to welcome visitors to WCMRC’s open house at their Burnaby location.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 9

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Young enough to climb Jacob’s ladder, old enough to know better.

Tim Ellis, Principal, JT Ellis & Associates Secretary, Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C.

I

f you look up the definition of a “marine surveyor” on Wikipedia, you’ll read a quote from the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS): When it comes to defining the qualities and qualifications of a marine surveyor, a memorandum of 1834 has not been bettered: “The utmost care and discrimination have been exercised by the Committee in the selection of men of talent, integrity, and firmness as surveyors, on whom the practical efficacy of the system and the contemplated advantages must so materially depend; the Committee have in their judgment appointed those persons only… who appeared to them to be most competent to discharge the important duties of their situations with fidelity and ability, and to ensure strict and impartial justice to all parties whose property shall come under their supervision.”

Taken one step further, Tim Ellis points to a more recent description from colleague Philip Oldham: “A marine surveyor is young and limber enough to scramble through the smallest hatch, strong enough to lift the heaviest hatch cover, yet old enough to have seen it all. He has the eye of an eagle and can write like Boswell. He is expected to be a

shipwright, a naval architect, a marine engineer and perhaps most important of all, a diplomat. He must know the market value of every boat and what it costs for every type of repair. Marine surveyors are the people in the field who put on the coveralls and crawl in and around the bilges and bottoms of boats and report to you on the condition of a boat or the cause and extent of loss. We are the eyes and ears of the insurance underwriter.”

“A marine surveyor is...expected to be a shipwright, a naval architect, a marine engineer and perhaps most important of all, a diplomat.

It is with these definitions in mind that we clearly see the inherent traits of a surveyor in Tim Ellis, Principal of JT Ellis & Associates and Secretary of the Association of Marine Surveyors of British Columbia (AMSBC).

BCSN: Given the definitions above, could you explain the duties — or perhaps categories is a better word — that a surveyor performs?

TE: Sure, the very basic duties of a marine surveyor can be boiled down

10 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

to: inspecting, assessing, measuring, weighing and reporting. As for categories, or more appropriately, reasons to engage a surveyor, there are many: valuation, condition, damage, fitness for purpose, new construction, salvage, underwater, marine accident investigation, compliance, draft surveying, class surveying, the supervision of the loading and unloading of projects and cargoes, sampling, handling, routing, lashing, stability surveys, heavy lifts…just to name but a very few.

BCSN: Given the extent of knowledge that is required of a marine surveyor is there any accreditation required, either from a government agency or other organization that a surveyor needs to obtain?

TE: There is no federal or provincial government requirement for marine surveyors. In North America, there are several associations of marine surveyors, but most are south of the border and not representative of the national and local conditions we experience here in Canada and here in B.C. — hence, the Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C. (AMSBC). The International Institute of Marine Surveyors, with whom we are affiliated, acts as an umbrella organization for marine

INDUSTRY INSIGHT surveying associations around the world and gives us a window into the trials and tribulations affecting surveyors wherever they are found.

Within the AMSBC, we require surveyors to have five years’ worth of work experience, to undergo an interview by their peers, pass an examination and agree to abide by the ethics and standards promulgated by the Association.

We would like to see the AMSBC receive a mandate from the provincial government that would ensure that all marine surveyors who hang out a shingle in British Columbia have some form of accreditation and that that accreditation is based on appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience. We are seeking Chartered Status to achieve this.

Up until 25 years ago, the qualifications for a marine surveyor were that he came from the commercial shipping industry and he would be either a master, mate or engineer but in fact, there never was the formal requirement for qualifications — surveyors’ clients just wouldn’t employ people who didn’t have these qualifications. At some point over the last few decades, it became obvious that the requirement to be a master, mate or engineer was impeding progress and the value of knowledge and experience was deemed to be greater than the need for these

difficult-to-get qualifications of master mariners, mates and engineers. So that’s led to a bit of a “rush” — many people loosely affiliated with the sea through pleasure boating or fishing, for example, believe that they can go into marine surveying as an easy option.

Someone who retires early and still wants to work thinks they can become a marine surveyor but of course it doesn’t work like that — there is no substitute for experience and expertise.

The AMSBC is quite progressive in the way it has approached issues like education.

BCSN: Are there courses available that a person can take to become a marine surveyor?

TE: There is an educational course provided by the International Institute of Marine Surveyors (IIMS) who works with Edexcel (an organization in the U.K. that facilitates the program — audits the exam and study material and marks the results). This allows for distance learning and a consistency in application and evaluation of the exam.

For surveyors in B.C., the exams are proctored by the AMSBC. The AMSBC is quite progressive in the way it has approached issues like

education. In addition to our educational association with the IIMS, we have resourced numerous questions from our member surveyors — in fact, one of the requirements of membership is that you have to contribute to the Continuing Education Program.

BCSN: You mentioned earlier that the AMSBC requires members to abide by standards in ethics — is that a big issue for the Association? Further, how does the Association work to resolve issues?

TE: I wouldn’t say we have a litany of these complaints but even four or five over a three-year period are far more than I’d like to see. The good news is that, of those four or five, only one related to a member and that complaint related to an omission rather than commission — i.e., the charge was that his reporting was not adequate, however when we carefully reviewed the client’s instructions, the report achieved what had been asked and, in fact, the surveyor had completed his instructions satisfactorily.

The committee that reviews complaints are all very experienced surveyors. To give another example of the types of things we see, we had a case where a surveyor (not a member) had inspected a vessel — and bear in mind that reports are purchased and are the sole property of the person who commissioned the report — and in this

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 11

INDUSTRY INSIGHT case, the surveyor had communicated the contents of the report to an authority who made a determination based on the findings contained within that report. This was done without the knowledge of the person who had commissioned the report and was to his detriment. The surveyor’s duty is to the person who commissioned the report.

BCSN: Surveyors are obviously integral to determine causes of damages in accidents. Could you give some examples of how you would work within the legal processes of cases involving accidents?

TE: In general terms, the surveyor’s duty to an employer is to determine the cause, cost and extent of damages, but the actual input depends upon the instructions issued to the surveyor by the client. To give an example: A dry-bulker enters a claimed ‘safe berth’ and during the discharge it’s noted that water is entering the vessel’s foremost hold. The investigation indicates that the mid-stream berth is shallower as a result of rapidly falling water levels and that the vessel may have come into contact with the bottom. An incomplete examination of the damage indicates that the vessel may have pressed a hole through her hull by coming into contact with her own anchor…or the pile securing the forward end of the buoyage system…or by the stevedore’s equipment…or by contact with some heretofore unknown underwater obstruction…or through stress upon the vessel…or perhaps previous and unreported damage.

There are several factors that must be taken into account during a survey, including damage to the vessel, damage to

cargo, delays to the discharge, stevedore’s stand-by time, loss of use of the berth, loss of charter hire, removal and disposal of damaged cargo, loss of future use of the vessel (charter hire), dry-docking, repair, loss to the receiver, incomplete out-turn, etc. and lawyers and surveyors representing each of these stakeholders will want to survey every aspect of the incident to determine cause, extent and cost. It is not uncommon to have numerous surveyors onboard a vessel, all at the same time, all jockeying for position and all utterly convinced of the righteousness of their position and their right to preeminence. In this case, after years of legal wrangling, the loss was found to be the responsibility of the berth owner.

The surveyor can act as the disponent owner, but this is not so common now, the purpose of such employment is more likely as an independent third party to assess and report to a client. In general, the surveyor’s activities are employed by one of the parties which may be, for example, owner, charterer, sub-charterer, P&I Club, hull insurer, cargo interests, stevedore and /or longshoremen, berth owner, berth operator, ship handler (tugs), pilots, bunkers, and so on. There are many more to list.

A typical charter party dispute can arise from something as simple as a vessel’s inability to load a contracted volume of cargo, for example, the wrong kind of wheat, or perhaps due to a stability issue arising from the order of loading, or perhaps she cannot maintain a warranted speed — 12.5 knots instead of 14 knots, or a vessel might be detained in port for a safety infraction causing delay and loss — all of the foregoing will require attendance by a knowledgeable surveyor to determine the cause, extent and cost.

Liability insurance for all professionals in recent years has become an issue. A single claim can put even the most successful surveyor out of business.

BCSN: What about the liability of a marine surveyor?

TE: Liability insurance for all professionals in recent years has become an issue. A single claim can put even the most successful surveyor out of business. Lawyers pursuing negligence claims often use the shotgun method where all parties involved are named jointly, leaving a judge or arbiter to assign a value to each defendant named. Even when a surveyor is faultless, the costs of defence are considerable.

Our litigious world makes us all careful and prudent.

Insurance is critical because it’s not just a case of protecting yourself from the possibility of suits but a lack of insurance can inhibit people from doing the best work that they can. Some surveyors, especially those who operate at the small vessel level, probably find it hard to justify the high costs of insurance but, having said that, the AMSBC recently negotiated a very competitive and attractive package on behalf of our members with BFL Canada Insurance Ltd. It took two and a half years to work out an agreement on behalf of our members.

BCSN: Let’s focus now on the ships that you survey. What sort of trends have you seen in terms of deficiencies or issues that are continually identified?

12 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

INDUSTRY INSIGHT TE: I’d have to say adequate manning and size of crew is a very big issue today. Modern vessels are larger and more complex than any of their predecessors but crews are smaller than they have ever been. For example, a handy bulker circa 1985 might have 44 crew aboard whereas a Panamax-sized vessel today will have as few as 15.

Today’s vessels are efficient but lonely.

Time at sea has not been reduced, but time in port has declined to the point that many serving seamen won’t have time to leave their vessels at all during a seven-month contract (and those contracts are often extended to over a year). Modern vessels also rely much more on dock facilities to discharge their cargoes.

Today’s vessels are efficient but lonely...many serving seamen won’t have time to leave their vessels at all during a seven-month contract...

The shipping companies try to operate as efficiently as possible by contracting out as much as they possibly can. This especially impacts on operations while in port because it means that, for example, during a loading or unloading, the crew has to be available virtually all the time that they’re in port to open and close hatches, move the vessel up and down the dock — whatever is required — and with only 12, 15 or 17 people onboard, that can be a problem. Crew become tired, stressed and start making mistakes.

Some owners are, too often, remote from their ships and their crews whilst maintaining interest in profits, expenses and the business of logistics.

Officers are overwhelmed by bureaucracy, harried by owners, and ignored by busy ports. Crews lack basic skills compounded by an inability to communicate with each other due to language barriers, pay is stagnating and responsibilities are increasing.

Another issue that, while not as prevalent today as 20 years ago but can still be seen, is in the cleanliness of cargo holds. A vessel that is not clean is not fit for loading. Vessels are much December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 13

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

With a passion for sailing, Tim’s life has revolved around the sea. more multi-purpose than they used to be and are expected to carry any cargo — for example, you could carry sugar on one voyage, salt on another, cement on a third. Sugar chemically reacts with cement so that it’s no longer cement so you can destroy a very large, valuable cargo through inattention.

A seed of wheat trapped on a shelf high up on a ship’s hull that falls into cement, for example, will sprout when it gets wet, and it will exert 4,000 p.s.i. within drying cement. A few grains of corn inside a cargo of cement will sprout through the cement; or a handful of oily coal dust in cement can spoil an entire cargo. We run into this from time to time but shipping companies have learned that cleanliness is very important.

I wouldn’t hesitate to say that a ship hold that may be 20 metres deep needs to be inspected with your nose against the plate from the very bottom to the very top. You may need a cherry picker in there to accomplish this and you go up and down between every frame in the hull and inspect it to make sure it’s clean. The grain inspections undertaken by Transport Canada and by private surveyors are of a similar nature — they will not accept any loose debris inside a ship’s hull.

BCSN: Does a surveyor’s work include inspection of port-side infrastructure?

TE: Yes, that’s part of our work as

well. We’ve seen it before where a company builds a dock, say for example in the Arctic, but doesn’t talk to anybody qualified to actually work in the conditions they’re expecting. So the designers go ahead and design wonderful features for a port and they don’t work. They forget that a ship is not discharged statically. The ship will move up and down the dock underneath the handling equipment. If your ship is on a dock that’s not

long enough or there are no dolphins to hold it, it suddenly becomes an impossible task to unload cargo. Surveyors have a very critical job function when it comes to assessing, monitoring or even assisting with the designs (or redesigns) of these kinds of features.

Surveyors are also involved with monitoring ships’ gear, port-side gear, containers, container handling or other areas where you’re seeking to gain advantages through efficiencies in handling.

BCSN: Does the economy impact on surveying? For example, are you more likely to see less maintenance?

TE: There are now few vessels trading that are over 15 years old and although one can find the odd 25-yearold ship, these tend to be in specialist trades or built to a particularly high standard with higher scantlings than we might see today. What this means is that most vessels afloat are now very new, or less than 10 years old. One of the main reasons for scrapping the old fleet was that maintenance had become such a grave issue that it led to excessive risks with leaking hatches, rusting decking, inoperative machinery, breakdowns and so on. New ships, better paint systems, electronic engine monitoring, computerized ballasting

About Tim Ellis

P

rior to establishing JT Ellis & Associates in 1977, Tim Ellis was employed by a European shipping line, working in offices in Vienna, London and Hong Kong. Tim gained valuable experience in commercial marketing, operations, accounting, management and analysis as well as container operations and risk management. Located in Taipei, Taiwan, Tim provided marine surveying and project management services for cargo, project shipping, and ocean-going vessels. He also provided services in the areas of transport management, risk management, yachts and small craft, and insolvency.

Since 1993, Tim has been based in Vancouver, B.C. and provides services for cargo, project management, transport consultancy, ocean going vessels, commercial craft including floating and fixed structures, risk management and control, valuations, yachts and small craft.

Tim has been married to Esther for 26 years and enjoys sailing, rowing and boatbuilding.

14 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

and stability programs and associated equipment (available for 30 years but only truly functional in this generation of vessels) all help to allow maintenance to be directed where it is most needed rather than everywhere and all the time.

Maintenance, or the lack of it, is likely to become an issue as the aging fleet approaches the end of its useful life which is generally considered to be 25 years.

BCSN: How does today’s focus on environmental sustainability impact on surveying (for example, new regulations, new technology)?

TE: Environmental sustainability, outside of the auditing function, is not something we would come across a lot but mostly we address this in terms of the cleanliness of a ship’s operation — the question of invasive species from ballast water is a useful example. Surveyors are required to board vessels to examine their logs and determine what and how much ballast is taken on, where it’s being discharged, etc. There are instances where surveyors in the engineering department have found quite serious violations — for example, a vessel had fitted false panelling to disguise the fact that they were pumping their sewage and grey water directly overboard and the very fact that they had panelled this in and that the valves were not marked as to function meant that they had conspired to do this.

BCSN: Is that something the surveyor would pick up on and is he obligated to report it to authorities?

TE: If it’s not part of his instructions for the survey he’s undertaking, then he’s not required to look for it, but if it’s his job to review the engineer’s log books to find out how much and where and how waste was pumped out and handled, and he inspected it and identified serious deficiencies, then yes, he’d certainly report on it.

Once it’s written in the surveyor’s report, it would be unwise for the company to ignore it. When you come to any kind of legal process the first thing that will be put on the table is the surveyor’s report.

BCSN: How has technology impacted on the surveyor’s job?

TE: The obvious advances, such as communications and reporting, are beneficial even if not always welcome. Other technologically advanced tools such as ultrasound, imaging, and similar devices are still beyond many small practices purely due to the expense and training required, but it is now evident that these will become mandatory in time simply because their use limits exposure to risk — for example, using ultrasound to detect whether or not a ship’s hatches leak is far superior to running a hose pipe of water over the hatch coaming.

Imaging is another advancement that is becoming viable.

It allows you to view a ship’s hull to indicate stress points, fractures, void spaces and all sorts of other, useful information. The entry-level equipment is expensive and it puts it out of sight of most marine surveyors but you can see an evolution taking place with these kinds of technologies. It is difficult to imagine a future without even greater reliance on technological advances than we currently have.

I have heard of companies in Vancouver who will not use surveyors who don’t have ultra sound equipment to inspect the hatches of vessels loading grain — and I would consider

that to be very reasonable. Ship owners, disponent owners, cargo owners and receivers absolutely demand that these kinds of surveys do the job they’re supposed to do because the risks associated with improper hatch sealing or simple things like rust holes in the decks are just not acceptable.

BCSN: Earlier on in the interview, we discussed training standards and the required qualifications for a marine surveyor. Is the industry maintaining an adequate supply of surveyors currently, and following from that, do you see the upcoming retirement surge as being an issue? Are there any plans within the AMSBC to address this?

TE: I think we would like to see more young people enter the profession but I’m not sure many are willing to put themselves at risk in terms of job security, nor are they attracted by the hours that must be worked and the travel involved.

The AMSBC has not identified a pool of likely candidates.

In the case of small boats, there is the attraction of sailing or yachts that bring people who may or may not be suited to marine surveying but who feel they could be marine surveyors. A willingness or desire to become a marine surveyor has to be backed up by “proofs” and the only way to get that is by exams, tests, etc. For the commercial and deepsea surveying requirements, this is an emerging problem. BCSN

About the AMSBC

T

he Association of Marine Surveyors of British Columbia (AMSBC) was formed in 1969 for the purpose of bringing together general marine surveyors with the object of enhancing and developing the practice while providing a representative body in approaching the maritime industry. Affiliated with the International Institute of Marine Surveying, the AMSBC membership comprises practicing marine surveyors situated throughout the province of British Columbia, particularly at the principal ports of Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, who bring to the Association their particular experience providing a broad and diverse input.

The members of this Association have undertaken to perform their respective services in keeping with the Code of Ethics and Constitution of the Association. Surveys provided by the membership range through hulls, machinery, cargo and terminals (port operations) to surveys of special or particular nature embraced in the term “Marine Related Transport”.

For the full membership directory of the AMSBC, please see page 26 of this month’s BC Shipping News.

For more information about the AMSBC, please visit: www.amsbc.org.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 15

HISTORY LESSON

Survey of the Alpha

By Lisa Glandt

Librarian/Archivist, Vancouver Maritime Museum

In 1962, the museum received a donation that included the registration and survey certificates for the first ship to be officially listed in the Port of Vancouver. Aptly named the Alpha, she was an 81.5-foot-long sidewheel steamer built by Captain Richard E. Gosse in False Creek from the burnt-out hull of the old sternwheeler Richmond. Among the archival records for the vessel is the original certificate of survey completed by a Surveyor of Shipping for the Port of Vancouver on December 27, 1890.

The Alpha was first owned by Imperial Steamships Ltd. (Captain Gosse was the President) and was used to transport farm produce from up the Fraser River down to Vancouver proper.

In September 1891, the vessel sold to A.W.E. Thompson — but through misfortune, he only owned her for a week!

On September 24, 1891 the Alpha was carrying a cargo of hay and potatoes off False Creek when a spark from the funnel caught the hay on fire. The vessel quickly burned down to the waterline and the wreck was subsequently

16 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

beached at Kitsilano. Not much more is known about the fate of the vessel.

The archival records related to the Alpha are a wealth of information about the construction of the sternwheeler and an example of the standardization being undertaken by the Port of Vancouver which had recently been declared a port of registry (prior to this, vessels were either registered at New Westminster or Victoria). The Certificate of Survey includes details about the physical dimensions of the vessel and the hold along with engine

VANCOUVER MARITIME MUSEUM and tonnage specifics. The engine for the sternwheeler was built in 1884 by a Seattle, Washington company and was previously used on the vessel Pearl. A secondary survey certificate contains information as filed by “J.A. Thomson, Inspector of Boilers and Machinery, Department of Marine, Dominion of Canada” and certifies that “…her engine, boiler and machinery are sufficient for a freight boat and may be so used without hazard to life, that the engine of the said Alpha can carry with safety 105 pounds per square inch of steam pressure and no more…”.

...records that do prevail are extremely Publication BC Shipping News useful for researchers, model makers

Issue and shipwreck enthusiasts November

Size These records are unique in themselves(half becausepage they vertical) rarely exist over Island the years to be donated to a museum or archives — indeed, we have few Deadline records5,like this in our holdings!

October 2012 However, those records that do prevail Features are extremely useful for researchers, model makers and shipwreck enthusi Industry Insight – Bud construction asts looking to confirm 





  

 

details and understand the nautical integrity of a vessel. In this case, we do not have any photographs of the vessel (our file only contains a photograph of a drawing that was done), increasing the importance of survey figures and other recorded construction details.

First-hand survey and registry documents like those for the Alpha compliment the information that is found in publications such as “Lloyd’s Register of Shipping” that is based on detailed

and strictly controlled vessel surveying techniques. When research from these sources is combined, the true history of a vessel can be revealed.

Lisa Glandt has been the Librarian/ Archivist for the Vancouver Maritime Museum since 2007. She started volunteering at the museum in 1999 sharing maritime stories with school children and now she preserves the stories. She can be contacted at archives@vancouvermaritimemuseum. com.

Endurable Designs designs@ral.ca

CCGS Vladykov

Near Shore Fisheries Research Vessel

Streeter, Lloyd's Register Canadian Coast Guard articles: From the office of Michel Vermette (Deputy Commissioner, CCG – Vessel Procurement) – an update on fleet renewal (including activity at Irving for naval vessels); interview with Vija Poruks (Assistant Commissioner, CCG Pacific); Arctic operations with Duke Snider (Assistant to Vija and author of recent book: Polar Operations).

Forensics of the Sea – from BMT De Beer – looking at the complexities of marine surveyors (Note: this might end up in the December issue).

Interview with R-Adm William Truelove – Commander, Maritime Forces Pacific.

Recap of Maritime Security Challenges Conference Recap of CFOA conference Technical section: Consilium products (detection systems, ECDIS) Human Smuggling from Darryl Anderson Navios Group from Syd Heal

Certificate of Survey for the Alpha, circa 1890.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 17

ports symposium

Northern Ports Symposium highlights development opportunities

By Dan Dibbelt, Executive Director, Northwest Corridor Development Corporation

N

ew industry developments proposed in the Prince Rupert / Kitimat region were the focus of the Northern Ports Symposium and Northwest Corridor Development Corporation (NCDC) AGM, in Prince Rupert, October 10 to 12, 2012. Rio Tinto Alcan, Enbridge, CN Rail and the Port of Prince Rupert all highlighted new developments proposed in the port region as well as along the corridor.

“Now is an exciting time for the region,” said Pacific Northern Gas, (PNG) and NCDC Vice-Chair Ron Vanderlee. “Kinder Morgan, Spectra Energy, and Shell, as well as Enbridge, all have proposals in the plans for this region,” said Vanderlee. “The economic impact and the opportunity for further development in this region are huge.”

“Going back 100 years to the turn of the last century, there was a group of foresighted individuals who had a plan to realize the north’s potential...”

“One of the key goals of the symposium was to highlight the importance of not just industry development proposed for the region, but to also inform those attending, of the importance of the communities and industry along the northwest corridor as part of this important supply chain,” said NCDC Chair, Carolyn Kolebaba. “NCDC members recognize the need to develop the corridor and open up value-added opportunities along the corridor to feed these port developments.”

“Going back 100 years to the turn of the last century, there was a group of foresighted individuals who had a plan to realize the north’s potential,” said keynote speaker Graham Kedgley.

“Today, we see the development of a container facility here in Prince Rupert, the significantly upgraded rail

lines across the northern provinces, the inland port in Edmonton, the enormously improved and expanded Prince George airport, a power line up the West Coast of B.C., to name but a few,” he added.

Kitimat Clean filed an environmental assessment application on September 21 to build an oil refinery in Kitimat. It would be the first such refinery to be built in Canada since 1984.

Kedgley went on to talk about the need to continue developments along the corridor to feed into these important northern ports and in order to take advantage of their proximity to AsiaPacific markets. Kedgley, who was the original executive director of NCDC, was also a key player in the development of the organization and instrumental in the development of a coal terminal in Prince Rupert.

The symposium, however, did not limit itself to Prince Rupert, presentations from Rio Tinto Alcan, Enbridge and Kitimat Clean Ltd. focused on the Kitimat region. David Black, President of Kitimat Clean Ltd. and Black Media discussed his proposal to see a refinery built in Kitimat to process bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands.

Black spoke to the need to find solutions for environmental concerns about using tankers off the northern ports to ship bitumen. His $13 billion proposed refinery would allow bitumen to be refined and shipped as refined oil, which he said would have reduced environmental concerns if an oil spill occurred.

He added that there are many legitimate concerns about the (Enbridge) pipeline and said it should not proceed unless there is confidence that any pipeline leakage would be immaterial.

Kitimat Clean Ltd. filed an environmental assessment application on September 21 to build an oil refinery in Kitimat. It would be the first such refinery to be built in Canada since 1984.

Black estimated that construction of the facility would employ 6,000 workers for five years and require approximately 3,000 permanent employees to operate the refinery once it was built.

Enbridge’s Senior Manager of Community and Municipal Relations, Michele Perret, spoke to Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline Project. The pipeline would run 1,177 km from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia and transfer 525,000 barrels of oil per day.

The proposed expansion of Fairview Terminals as well as other developments on the Prince Rupert Port was highlighted by Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO, Don Krusel.

A vital link in the transportation chain in getting product to the port is CN Rail, the only rail line that runs to Prince Rupert.

“CN Rail truly appreciates the importance of the corridor that leads to the Port of Prince Rupert”...

“CN Rail truly appreciates the importance of the corridor that leads to the Port of Prince Rupert,” said Mike Cory, CN Senior Vice President, Western Region. “CN has and will continue to invest in rail along this corridor to increase capacity of this line and improve accessibility for the corridor, to the benefit of both imports and exports.”

Port Alberta’s CEO, Wendy Cooper, highlighted developments in Alberta, while Cathy Goulet, Executive Director with the Northern Alberta

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 19

ports symposium Development Council, spoke to the value of the strategic corridor leading to Prince Rupert for Alberta shipments.

Other speakers included Tara Bogh with Initiatives Prince George and Evan Van Dyke with Terrace Economic

David Black, President of Kitimat Clean Ltd. and Black Media; and Carolyn Kolebaba, Chair, Northwest Corridor Development Corporation.

Development highlighting the growth sectors in their region.

The symposium also offered an opportunity for NCDC to present their latest research document, “Accessing the Corridor”, which highlighted the fact that the mass majority of northern Alberta products do not utilize the northern ports and in fact ship most of their products south. ”This research demonstrates the necessity to increase northern transportation corridors to open up the opportunity for our producers and processors to ship to Asia-Pacific markets effectively and efficiently,” said Kolebaba. “NCDC undertakes this type of research to help educate all stakeholders, including all levels of government, on the need to build northern east/west transportation corridors.

The Northern Ports Symposium brought together more than 80 key stakeholders, many from Edmonton and northern Alberta to hear about developments in the region and along the corridor and to network with industry and municipalities.

Also on hand was United Kingdom Consul General Rupert Potter, opening the reception with comments on the United Kingdom’s plans for investment and trade opportunities in British Columbia. The United Kingdom is Canada’s second largest trading partner.

Dan Dibbelt is the Executive Director for the Northwest Corridor Development Corporation and can be reached at: dandibbelt@nwcorridor.net

Located at Vancouver Waterfront and Roberts Bank

www.flyingangel.ca 20 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

ports & terminals

Fraser Surrey Docks’ VP excited by the next 50 years

By Ray Dykes

W

ith 50 years under its belt, Port Metro Vancouver’s largest multi-purpose terminal, Fraser Surrey Docks, is busily planning for an exciting 50 more.

There’s talk of the Fraser River becoming a super highway and Fraser Surrey Docks emerging as the premier super port on that evolving highway.

And there’s even a prediction that Port Metro Vancouver will become North America’s largest port by volume within a decade or two.

From his office overlooking a murky Fraser River on a wet, grey Friday, Fraser Surrey Docks’ Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Bill Wehnert, has polished up his crystal ball and is bringing some enthusiasm to his task.

I had asked him to look ahead another 50 years after we’d carefully traced progress over the past five decades now being celebrated by Fraser Surrey Docks (FSD) this year.

Wehnert has little doubt about how the Fraser River seven-berth, 154-acre terminal will fare and assures me that FSD is confidently investing in the future.

“Fraser Surrey Docks will become a super terminal in Port Metro Vancouver because of our ability to service multiple markets, markets that need support,” he predicts. “I think we will become the flagship of business on the Fraser River and I see the Fraser coming of age as the

next St. Lawrence Seaway or Mississippi River.”

After basing its success in the first 50 years on handling import steel, export raw logs, other break bulk, containers, and project cargoes, the terminal has “purposefully” looked at how its future will be and has chosen to base growth on bulk agri-products it ventured into in 2011, and a newcomer, coal.

...FSD announced to its neighbours early in the fall that it wanted to get into the coal export business.

In a surprise move, FSD announced to its neighbours early in the fall that it wanted to get into the coal export business. It has applied to Port Metro Vancouver for a project permit to build coal handling facilities within the existing terminal operations.

The plan, which it hopes will be underway in 2013, would haul coal in from the rich-seamed Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, load it onto barges by conveyor, and tow the barges to Texada Island in the Strait of Georgia for transshipment and eventual passage to Asian markets such as Japan and China.

Texada Island has an established export terminal now serving the domestic shipments and occasional

exports of Vancouver Island miner Quinsam Coal, owned by Swiss-based Vitol Anker International B.V. The trip down the Fraser and north on the strait to Texada is not seen as onerous or a deal breaker for future coal exports.

Wehnert and his Fraser Surrey Docks’ boss, Jeff Scott, President & CEO, are not subject to bouts of wishful thinking. Coal is going to be a valuable and vital part of Fraser River traffic if the terminal wins approval from PMV. There are still a lot of details to be determined, but FSD confidently put out a Community Update in mid-September letting all local residents know of its plans.

It has assured the residents there will be no permanent stockpiling of coal at the river terminal. But, the proposed coal handling facility would require a significant investment to upgrade existing infrastructure, including: • Additional terminal rail track; • Installation of two railcar unloading pits for bottom dumping cars; • Conveyor to connect the pits to the barges (front end loaders would groom the pits to feed the conveyor); • Upgrades to the electrical system; • Installation of associated dust and fire prevention systems.

FSD plans to handle energy coal, something that emerging countries in Asia can’t seem to get enough of to power their growth these days. Just

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 21

ports & terminals

April 2011: The first rail car to carry agri-products (through a joint venture with Parrish & Heimbecker) enters FSD. look at the six new coal export facilities now being pushed along the Pacific Northwest coast. Not all of them will go ahead even though the U.S. West Coast currently has no indigenous coal export terminal of its own.

And into this mix comes Fraser Surrey Docks with an initial annual

capacity of four million tonnes already sold out, according to Wehnert, and there are now plans to go to eight million tonnes a year. Wehnert says he is averaging a phone call a week from interested mining companies and while he won’t disclose FSD’s partners in the proposed new coal export venture, any

EARTH MATTERs A leading environmental and energy services company, Tervita is a key service provider to the marine industry, specializing in: Bilge water & sludge • Waste fuel & oil • Hazardous waste Recycling & disposal of solid waste & garbage Victoria, B.C. (250)-380-0436 24hrs: 1-800-327-7455

22 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

tervita.com

number of Powder River Basin mines could be involved.

And why not? The premier coal export of choice for both Canada and the United States is currently Westshore Terminals, which shipped a best ever 8.2 million tonnes of U.S. coal in 2011 on its way to a record 23.7 million tonnes overall and is going great guns in 2012. But, like the other coal export terminals in British Columbia — Neptune Bulk Terminals in PMV and Ridley Terminals in the rapidly expanding Port of Prince Rupert — Westshore is upgrading its equipment and improving its capacity . . . all while turning away business.

Despite environmental protests, Wehnert and others in the shipping and mining industry feel energy coal — that’s the thermal coal used to generate electricity in power stations around the world — can do more to power Asian growth than any other fuel. He notes improvements underway in coal-fired power station emission levels and says it would be difficult to convince Asian countries now hungry for coal to find another fuel that is as readily available.

With its ample coal supplies and numerous new mines looking to come into production over the next five years, Canada should be taking advantage of its assets, says Wehnert. Regardless, Fraser Surrey Docks intends to be among the action, expanding as it makes economic sense.

A buoyant Fraser Surrey Docks and the creation of other terminals on the Fraser River in coming years are part of the reason why Wehnert also predicts Port Metro Vancouver will eventually become the busiest port in all of North America.

Meanwhile, the Fraser River’s “superstore of port terminals” — as Fraser Surrey Docks is being billed these days — is all about diversification and coal is just the latest commodity to catch its eye.

While overall yearly throughput tonnage figures are difficult to come by for some reason, the terminal expects to dock 221 ships this year at its berths, which currently comfortably handle Handymax-sized vessels, usually regarded as from 40,000 to 60,000 deadweight tonnes. Above that size,

ports & terminals percentages in recent years with the handling of equipment and machinery for oil rigs and natural gas plants, plus the export of old pulp mill equipment, much assisted, says Wehnert, by the on-dock rail capacity.

...the Fraser River’s “superstore of port terminals” — as Fraser Surrey Docks is being billed these days — is all about diversification...

Fraser Surrey Docks: seven berths and 154 acres of waterfront along the Fraser River. the terminal can handle newer Panamax-sized ships (up to 82,500 dwt) if they have the more modern and shallower hull designs, or if they are only partially loaded.

Much of the past 50 years of growth, despite relatively frequent ownership changes — the terminal has been owned

by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners since 2007 — has been based on imports of steel and that will continue, says Wehnert. In fact, FSD has no intention of quitting steel handling nor is it abandoning its venture into containers, which peaked at about 350,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in 2005 and has slipped through the global depression and consolidation of shipping lines to around 100,000 TEUs today.

And it won’t be turning its back on shipments of raw logs, now largely to China, despite that business not being all that lucrative.

Nor is it forsaking its new venture into handling agriproducts such as canola meal, malt or lentils with its new horizontal storage facility built in partnership with Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. and rail car belly dump system and conveyors and weighing structure. Agri-bulk handling could go as high as 600,000 tonnes a year with current equipment and FSD is prepared to grow the facility to meet demand.

Shipments in the first year in 2011 topped 100,000 tonnes and this year will be substantially better than that, according to Wehnert.

Part of FSD’s competitive advantage is the 38,000 feet of on-dock rail it boasts and Wehnert muses there’s probably not a terminal in Port Metro Vancouver with more. FSD has a Class II B.C. locomotive licence and switches trains in and out of its facility.

Project cargoes, often involving heavy lifts, are also a Fraser Surrey Docks specialty. In the past, the FSD has offloaded huge pieces of a new stacker-reclaimer for Westshore Terminals, which were barged to that Roberts Bank facility for assembly. And project cargo has grown by double-digit

But, there are some darker clouds on the otherwise seemingly rosy horizon. Dredging of the massive silt load that comes down the Fraser River each year is imperative.

Maintenance dredging is done every year by PMV and every few years capital dredging, costing much more, is done to preserve the existing 11.5 metre shipping channel.

Ideally, the channel should be deepened to 12.5 m or to 13.5 m — break bulk steel shipment vessels, for example, will need 12.5 m and future growth in that business is being threatened. However, one of the biggest impediments to this growth, which would allow larger ships on the river, is the George Massey Tunnel in Ladner.

No wonder President & CEO Scott enthusiastically endorsed B.C. Premier Christy Cark’s announcement in September that the provincial government was looking to replace the tunnel — a severe traffic bottleneck at almost any time of the working day. “Sufficient draft in the Fraser River is critical to the port’s ability to service the world’s increasing fleet of larger vessels,” Scott said at the time.

If that tunnel river restriction is removed, then the next 50 years should be one exciting voyage for Fraser Surrey Docks.

Ray Dykes is a journalist who has worked his way around the world as a writer/photographer. Ray can be reached at prplus@ shaw.ca.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 23

marine salvage

West Coast salvage: A 21st century view

By K. Joseph Spears and Captain Don Mackenzie

S

alvage is an important component of having a strong and resilient marine response capability on Canada’s West Coast. Recent projects involving the export of energy resources from British Columbia to IndoPacific markets have focused attention on maritime issues. Canada is discovering that it is a maritime nation and the West Coast is central to Canada’s economic future. Salvage, provided by the private sector, is an integral part of the commercial shipping world and it is not well understood by those not in the business. This article will focus on the underpinnings of the concept of salvage and its growing importance in the 21st century as shipping has become more complex and protection of the marine environment from dangerous and hazardous cargoes has increased.

Salvage is both the undertaking of the actual work dealing with a marine casualty as well as the maritime law elements of getting paid for the salvage work which can often prove more difficult than the actual work itself.

Premier Christy Clark, in a recent policy statement, spoke about the need for a world-class response for marine pollution as a term of B.C.’s support for the Northern Gateway. On Canada’s West Coast, salvage response by private salvors has been world-class for generations. The B.C. coast is unique in that it is a remote coast line with very little infrastructure, strong tidal currents and a high energy environment — oceanographic speak for big storms

and waves. Some of the strongest tidal currents in the world are found in our waters. To give some perspective on the volume of water running through coastal British Columbia, at Turn Point in Haro Strait near Victoria, four times the volume of the Amazon River changes direction twice-daily.

These tidal currents, some of which exceed 22 knots, deep-water fjords and pinnacles present special challenges to salvors. This, combined with a heightened environmental awareness, works to create added pressure on salvors to obtain a successful result. Our waters are also among the most pristine in the world.

...none of the recent reports have considered the important role that salvage plays in marine response.

As a recent report from the Office of the Auditor General indicated, Canada does not have adequate marine spill capability. But none of the recent reports have considered the important role that salvage plays in marine response. This is a subject that needs to be central in any world-class marine response capability. The good news is that much of this capability and capacity on the coast already exists in the towboat, marine eco-tourism and fishing industries. There is a strong web of local knowledge, suitable vessels, equipment, diving contractors and,

24 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

most importantly, a “can-do” attitude to get the job done that bodes well for the complexities of the 21st century.

These assets need to be brought front and centre into the awareness of Canada’s ocean management. It is equally important to bring both First Nations and coastal communities into the fold to increase response capability on British Columbia’s 28,000-kilometre coastline. We need to encourage private sector companies to learn about salvage response and how that can be co-ordinated and integrated into marine response. Increasing Canada’s salvage capability will also increase community resilience as was recently seen with the 7.7 magnitude earthquake off Haida Gwaii. It is crucial and critical that this occur now.

In the past, especially in Canada, salvage has been thought of essentially as a private sector response protecting private property interests — namely the vessel and its cargo — and it had a very large marine insurance focus. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), through its work to develop the international Salvage Convention, 1989, has recognized the importance of protecting the marine environment. Article 14, the safety net provision, provides an enhanced award for protection of the environment even if the vessel is not successfully salvaged. Internationally, this is still a very controversial topic. Canada adopted the Salvage Convention, 1989 as a schedule to Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

It is part of Canadian maritime law.

Joe Spears/SLC Ocean House Collection

marine salvage

Captain Don Mackenzie, the late Don Carpenter, C.A., and Dave Unsworth of D and E Towing stand outside the Lloyd’s Building in London, circa 2000. Don’s smile reflects the outcome of the Golden Cell LOF. Normally, salvage work is compensated on the basis of success and that is a fundamental underpinning of the Lloyd’s Open Form salvage process — “no cure-no pay” — that has been in place in the commercial shipping industry for generations. Traditionally on the B.C. coast, when towboats were salvaging towboats, the rate was double the daily towing rate. Today, a “double-double” may be good for coffee but not for salvage given the complexities and the need to protect the marine environment and the salvor’s potential liability.

It is our view that the Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) salvage agreement is the preferred route. This allows a prompt mechanism for payment for salvage services. In the case of the successful salvage of the Golden Cell, undertaken by writer Captain Mackenzie in 1999, payment was made within nine months of the completion of salvage. The LOF process uses salvage arbitrators in London who are experienced maritime barristers who have a streamlined, efficient hearing process. The LOF process is administered by the Lloyd’s Salvage branch in London and it is very user-friendly.

Getting successfully paid in any salvage case is often the hardest part of salvage work. The key is the development of the salvage brief which often is more painful than the salvage itself. Farley Mowat, the great Canadian writer, who never let the facts get in the way of a good story, summed this up well in his classic marine yarn, Grey Seas Under. Farley wrote: The salvors, meanwhile, have been hard at work preparing an extraordinary document known as a salvage brief. It describes the operation in the most meticulous detail. A really good brief can make you hear the thunder of breakers and yearn for the reassuring feel of a life-belt around your waist...The preparation of the brief is a highly skilled exercise in creative writing. Not fiction, mind you, but subjective fact.

Conducting salvage on the B.C. coast in the 21st century is a complex dance involving many parties including the vessel owner, their insurers, surveyors appointed by various groups, regulatory authorities, municipal governments

and the media to just name a few. West Coast mariners have the skills and are up to the challenge to be professional salvors when the call comes, however, we need to have a full and frank discussion about enhancing West Coast salvage capabilities and have more people understand the Lloyd’s salvage arbitration process. The LOF works and can provide a solid foundation for increasing British Columbia’s marine response capability. Private sector salvage has an important role to play in Canada’s pollution salvage capability in the 21st century. A robust and vigorous West Coast salvage capability, led by the private sector and supported by all levels of government, First Nations and local communities is a valuable asset to pollution counter-measures and Canada’s ocean management. This will ensure that British Columbia’s pristine coastline is protected for future generations.

Captain Donald McKenzie is a mariner with over 60 years of towboat experience, ship-berthing and a broad range of marine experience and underwater support services on the West Coast.

He is the president of Mackenzie Sea Services Limited. He was found to be a professional salvor in the 1999 LOF Golden Cell arbitration. He now sails the coast in his yacht, the Flying Fish 4. Don can be reached at macsea@telus.net.

Joe Spears is maritime counsel with Straith Litigation Chambers, a certified mariner and Canadian Coast Guard Rescue Coxswain.

He is also the founding principal of Horseshoe Bay Marine Group.

He undertook his first salvage off Ketch Harbour at age 11. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on salvage and pollution countermeasures and was legal counsel to Mackenzie Sea Services during the Lloyd’s salvage arbitration involving the M/Y Golden Cell. He can be reached at kjs@oceanlawcanada.com.

FULL SERVICE REPAIR YARD 330 Ton Marine Travelift Welding  Electrical Repairs  Mechanical Repairs  Vessel Refits Painting and Sandblasting  Custom Steel and Aluminum Projects CSI Inspection Readiness  24 Hour Emergency Service

11580 Mitchell Road, Richmond  604-323-7402 www.ArrowMarineServices.com

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 25

SURVEYOR DIRECTORY Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C. membership directory Small Craft

(Yachts, Power Boats, Pleasure Craft)

Tim Amy Inland Marine Surveyors Sidney, Okanagan, Shuswap P: (250) 833-2444/C: (250) 833-2444 E: tim@inlandmarine.ca www.inlandmarine.ca Volodymyr Bondarev IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 298-9968/C: (604) 562-7851 E: admin@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com Todd Braconnier TCB Marine Consulting Service North Vancouver P: (604) 375-0923/C: (604) 375-0923 E: tcbroc@shaw.ca www.tcbmarine.ca J. Timothy Ellis JT Ellis & Associates Burnaby P: (604) 299-8827/C: (604) 716-1240 E: timothy.ellis@mac.com Peter Golden Blue Seas Yacht Surveys Fanny Bay P: (250) 335-9171/C: (250) 218-4021 E: pmgolden@shaw.ca Patrick Haliburton HUB International TOS Limited North Vancouver P: (604) 990-6497/ C: (604) 626-2774 E: haliburton@telus.net www.hubinternational.com

Allan Hart

Donald Kimura Don Kimura Marine Surveyor Port Alberni P: (250) 723-4496 E: dkmsdf@shaw.ca

Donald Rose Capt. Rose Marine Consulting & Surveys Ltd. (Surrey) P: (604) 596-4389/C: (604) 312 4074 E: captainrosemarine@gmail.com

Laurie Langill Coast Claim Services Ltd. Powell River P: (604) 485-4782 E: llangill@coastclaims.com www.coastclaims.com

Peter Strathdee Coast Claim Services Ltd. Campbell River P: (250) 287-2283 E: pstrathdee@coastclaims.com www.coastclaims.com

Edward Lipsett Lipsett Marine Consultants Ltd. Ladysmith P: (250) 924-6565 E: ealipsett@shaw.ca David Logan Pacific Marine Services Pitt Meadows P: (604) 230-1040/C: (604) 329-1094 E: pacificmarine@shaw.ca Jim Moser Propacific Services Corporation Surrey P: (604) 340-9435 E: propacific@telus.net Philip Oldham Philip Oldham Marine Surveyors North Vancouver P: (604) 984-7286 E: philipoldham@shaw.ca Wayne (Pat) Patrick P.R. Marine Surveyors Powell River P: (604) 485-5992 E: patsplace@shaw.ca

Mal Walsh Blue Seas Yacht Surveys Comox P: (250) 890-3293 E: kminc@shaw.ca Allen Waugh Accurate Appraisals & Marine Surveys Cobble Hill P: (250) 715-5589 E: a-swaugh@shaw.ca Brian Whelen Intermar Marine Services Ltd. Nanoose Bay P: (250) 468-9595 E: intermar@telus.net Sarah White Student Member (Vancouver) P: (604) 218-7220/C: (604) 218-7220 E: sarah@specialty-yachts.com www.yachtworld.com/ specialtyyachtsales/

Deepsea

(Hull, Machinery, On/Off-Hire, Hold Inspection)

Coast Claim Services Ltd. Victoria P: (250) 386-3111 E: ahart@coastclaims.com www.coastclaims.com

Bryon Polly Strathcona Marine Surveyors Campbell River P: (250) 923-1855 E: bpolly@telus.net

Alistair Beaton Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 939-7070 E: abeaton@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Jostien Hoddevik IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 298-9968 E: hoddevik@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com

John Roberts All Points Marine Surveyors Vancouver P: (604) 288-0634/C: (604) 288-0634 E: marineboatsurveyor@gmail.com www.marinesurveyor.com/allpoints

Volodymyr Bondarev IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 298-9968/C: (604) 562-7851 E: admin@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com

26 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

SURVEYOR DIRECTORY Todd Braconnier TCB Marine Consulting Service North Vancouver P: (604) 375-0923/C: (604) 375-0923 E: tcbroc@shaw.ca www.tcbmarine.ca Rene Dickinson Greenwich Marine Services Delta P: (604) 940-0922 E: greenwichmarine@dccnet.com

David Logan Pacific Marine Services Pitt Meadows P: (604) 230-1040/C: (604) 329-1094 E: pacificmarine@shaw.ca Laurence Luiz Lorimar Marine Canada Ltd Surrey P: (604) 585-3384 E: lmcanada@telus.net

Ralph D’Rozario Rozario Marine Ltd. Delta P: (604) 543-7432 E: rozariorvd@yahoo.ca

Nelson Ng Safeport Marine Services Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 420-2308 E: nelson@safeport.ca www.safeport.ca

J. Timothy Ellis JT Ellis & Associates Burnaby P: (604) 299-8827/C: (604) 716-1240 E: timothy.ellis@mac.com

Cecil Noronha Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: cnoronha@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Mike Fothergill Benline Holdings Ltd. Nanaimo P: (250) 756-2108 E: mariner@shaw.ca www.bcmariner.com

Craig Perry Glencannon Shipping Ltd. Gibsons P: (604) 886-2830 E: glha@telus.net

Allan Hart Coast Claim Services Ltd. Victoria P: (250) 386-3111 E: ahart@coastclaims.com www.coastclaims.com Jostien Hoddevik IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 298-9968 E: hoddevik@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com Donald Kimura Don Kimura Marine Surveyor Port Alberni P: (250) 723-4496 E: dkmsdf@shaw.ca Andrew Korek Phoenix Marine Services Inc. Abbotsford P: (604) 855-7874 E: phoenixmarine@shaw.ca www.phoenixmarine.ca Edward Lipsett Lipsett Marine Consultants Ltd. Ladysmith P: (250) 924-6565 E: ealipsett@shaw.ca

Augustine Rebello Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: arebello@certispec.com www.certispec.com Roy Sluyter Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: rsluyter@certispec.com www.certispec.com Richard Smith Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 939-7070 E: jrfsmith@certispec.com www.certispec.com Peter Strathdee Coast Claim Services Ltd. Campbell River P: (250) 287-2283 E: pstrathdee@coastclaims.com www.coastclaims.com

Donald Tranter Trans Marine Consultants Ltd. North Vancouver P: (604) 929-4733 E: donaldtranter@telus.net www.transmarineconsultants.com David Trickett Building Sea Marine Ltd. Vancouver P: (604) 802-8891 E: buildingsea@gmail.com Allen Waugh Accurate Appraisals & Marine Surveys Cobble Hill P: (250) 715-5589 E: a-swaugh@shaw.ca

Coastal Commercial

(Fishing Vessels, Tug Boats, Barges, Passenger Vessels, Work-Boats, Dredges, etc., and their machinery)

Todd Braconnier TCB Marine Consulting Service North Vancouver P: (604) 375-0923/C: (604) 375-0923 E: tcbroc@shaw.ca www.tcbmarine.ca Rene Dickinson Greenwich Marine Services (Delta) P: (604) 940-0922 E: greenwichmarine@dccnet.com Ralph D’Rozario Rozario Marine Ltd. (Delta) P: (604) 543-7432 E: rozariorvd@yahoo.ca J. Timothy Ellis JT Ellis & Associates Burnaby P: (604) 299-8827/C: (604) 716-1240 E: timothy.ellis@mac.com Mike Fothergill Benline Holdings Ltd. (Nanaimo) P:(250) 756-2108 E: mariner@shaw.ca www.bcmariner.com Donald Kimura Don Kimura Marine Surveyor Port Alberni P: (250) 723-4496 E: dkmsdf@shaw.ca

The Association of Marine Surveyors of British Columbia c/o 2813 Murray Street, Port Moody, B.C., Canada V3H 1X3 Telephone: (604) 889-6741 / Fax: (604) 477-4003 Email: information@amsbc.org www.amsbc.org

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 27

SURVEYOR DIRECTORY Andrew Korek Phoenix Marine Services Inc. Abbotsford P: (604) 855-7874 E: phoenixmarine@shaw.ca www.phoenixmarine.ca David Logan Pacific Marine Services Pitt Meadows P: (604) 230-1040/C: (604) 329-1094 E: pacificmarine@shaw.ca Laurence Luiz Lorimar Marine Canada Ltd. (Surrey) P: (604) 585-3384 E: lmcanada@telus.net Jim Moser Propacific Services Corporation Surrey P: (604) 340-9435 E: propacific@telus.net Cecil Noronha Certispec Services Inc. (Port Moody) P: (604) 469-9180 E: cnoronha@certispec.com SCA0019A Ad - BC Shipping News.pdf 1 www.certispec.com

Craig Perry Glencannon Shipping Ltd. (Gibsons) P: (604) 886-2830 E: glha@telus.net Bryon Polly Strathcona Marine Surveyors Campbell River P: (250) 923-1855 E: bpolly@telus.net Augustine Rebello Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: arebello@certispec.com www.certispec.com Donald Rose Capt. Rose Marine Consulting & Surveys Ltd. (Surrey) P: (604) 596-4389/C: (604) 312 4074 E: captainrosemarine@gmail.com Roy Sluyter Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: rsluyter@certispec.com 10/19/2012 8:30:34 AM www.certispec.com

28 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

Richard Smith Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 939-7070 E: jrfsmith@certispec.com www.certispec.com Allen Waugh Accurate Appraisals & Marine Surveys Cobble Hill P: (250) 715-5589 E: a-swaugh@shaw.ca

Marine Cargo

(Draft Survey, Damage Survey, Container Inspection)

Alistair Beaton Certispec Services Inc. (Port Moody) P: (604) 939-7070 E: abeaton@certispec.com www.certispec.com Volodymyr Bondarev IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. (Burnaby) P: (604) 298-9968/C: (604) 562-7851 E: admin@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com

SURVEYOR DIRECTORY Todd Braconnier TCB Marine Consulting Service North Vancouver P: (604) 375-0923/C: (604) 375-0923 E: tcbroc@shaw.ca www.tcbmarine.ca Rene Dickinson Greenwich Marine Services (Delta) P: (604) 940-0922 E: greenwichmarine@dccnet.com Ralph D’Rozario Rozario Marine Ltd. (Delta) P: (604) 543-7432 E: rozariorvd@yahoo.ca J. Timothy Ellis JT Ellis & Associates Burnaby P: (604) 299-8827/C: (604) 716-1240 E: timothy.ellis@mac.com Mike Fothergill Benline Holdings Ltd. Nanaimo P: (250) 756-2108 E: mariner@shaw.ca www.bcmariner.com Patrick Haliburton HUB International TOS Limited North Vancouver P: (604) 990-6497/ C: (604) 626-2774 E: haliburton@telus.net www.hubinternational.com Jostien Hoddevik IMS Marine Surveyors Ltd. Burnaby P: (604) 298-9968 E: hoddevik@ims-van.com www.ims-van.com

Craig Perry Glencannon Shipping Ltd. Gibsons P: (604) 886-2830 E: glha@telus.net

Tim Amy Inland Marine Surveyors Sidney, Okanagan, Shuswap P: (250) 833-2444/C: (250) 833-2444 E: tim@inlandmarine.ca www.inlandmarine.ca Todd Braconnier TCB Marine Consulting Service North Vancouver P: (604) 375-0923/C: (604) 375-0923 E: tcbroc@shaw.ca www.tcbmarine.ca

Roy Sluyter Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: rsluyter@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Ralph D’Rozario Rozario Marine Ltd. (Delta) P: (604) 543-7432 E: rozariorvd@yahoo.ca

Richard Smith Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 939-7070 E: jrfsmith@certispec.com www.certispec.com

J. Timothy Ellis JT Ellis & Associates (Burnaby) P: (604) 299-8827/C: (604) 716-1240 E: timothy.ellis@mac.com

Jeff Sun Certispec Services Inc. Burnaby P: (604) 420-9180 E: jsun@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Mike Fothergill Benline Holdings Ltd. (Nanaimo) P: (250) 756-2108 E: mariner@shaw.ca www.bcmariner.com

Donald Tranter Trans Marine Consultants Ltd. North Vancouver P: (604) 929-4733 E: donaldtranter@telus.net www.transmarineconsultants.com Jay Turner Certispec Services Inc. Burnaby Phone: (604) 420-9180 E: jturner@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Laurence Luiz Lorimar Marine Canada Ltd. Surrey P: (604) 585-3384 E: lmcanada@telus.net

Colin Vidian-Jones Certispec Services Inc. Burnaby P: (604) 420-9180 E: cvjones@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Cecil Noronha Certispec Services Inc. (Port Moody) P: (604) 469-9180 E: cnoronha@certispec.com www.certispec.com

(Floating Homes, Docks, Floats, Marinas etc.)

Augustine Rebello Certispec Services Inc. Port Moody P: (604) 469-9180 E: arebello@certispec.com www.certispec.com

Andrew Korek Phoenix Marine Services Inc. Abbotsford P: (604) 855-7874 E: phoenixmarine@shaw.ca www.phoenixmarine.ca

Nelson Ng Safeport Marine Services Ltd. (Burnaby) P: (604) 420-2308 E: nelson@safeport.ca www.safeport.ca

Marine Facility

Underwater Andrew Korek Phoenix Marine Services Inc. Abbotsford P: (604) 855-7874 E: phoenixmarine@shaw.ca www.phoenixmarine.ca

Donald Kimura Don Kimura Marine Surveyor Port Alberni P: (250) 723-4496 E: dkmsdf@shaw.ca David Logan Pacific Marine Services (Pitt Meadows) P: (604) 230-1040/C: (604) 329-1094 E: pacificmarine@shaw.ca Laurence Luiz Lorimar Marine Canada Ltd. (Surrey) P: (604) 585-3384 E: lmcanada@telus.net Craig Perry Glencannon Shipping Ltd. Gibsons P: (604) 886-2830 E: glha@telus.net Bryon Polly Strathcona Marine Surveyors Campbell River P: (250) 923-1855 E: bpolly@telus.net Donald Rose Capt. Rose Marine Consulting & Surveys Ltd. (Surrey) P: (604) 596-4389/C: (604) 312 4074 E: captainrosemarine@gmail.com

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 29

marine surveying

Pleasure craft surveying:

Buyer beware

By Philip Oldham

T

he field of marine surveying is very wide and includes people, like myself, who concentrate on pleasure vessels while others inspect machinery, tugs and barges, deepsea ships or cargo. In my discipline, I have inspected canoes, 100-foot charter vessels and everything in between. The pleasure vessel market is vast with thousands of different types or designs of boat. In Canada, anyone can build a boat for pleasure use with almost no requirements for construction or systems installations. This makes it extremely difficult for a surveyor to convince an owner that a particular system on his vessel is not appropriate.

In the U.S., there is the American Boat and Yacht Council and the National Fire Protection Association. These two associations publish guidelines for every system on a vessel including engines, fuel installations, electrical, propane, domestic water and fire protection systems.

The pleasure boat market includes both power and sailboats, each of which may be constructed of wood, fibreglass, steel, aluminum or ferro-cement.

Each of these categories can be further broken down...

Power boats include large cruisers with diesel engines up to 1,000 hp; smaller cruisers (30 to 40 feet) with either gasoline or diesel engines up to 600 hp and speeds to 30 knots; runabouts with engines to 250 hp, speed to 40 knots and hi-performance boats

with modified gasoline engines and speeds in excess of 60 knots.

Sailboat designs range from the large 70-foot ketch with 100 hp diesel engine to the 22-foot day sailer with a five hp outboard on the transom. The sailboat might be rigged as a ketch, a yawl or sloop. She may have a masthead, gaff or fractional rig. Racing sailboats have a very sparse interior but 20 or more bags of sails onboard. Live-a-board cruising boats will be jam packed with gear and may have only two or three sails.

Wood was the most common building material up to the early 1960s when fibreglass technology allowed for the mass production of boats up to 100 feet.

Aluminum is used because of its light weight and ease of manufacture but it is a very expensive material and great care must be taken to avoid corrosion problems.

The use of steel in the pleasure boat field is usually by the home builder who is a welder and wants to build himself a boat. There are some companies building in steel but they are usually custom designs and very costly.

The first ferro-cement boat is believed to have been built around 1848 and can be seen in a museum in France. It can be a very strong method of construction if done using the correct materials and great care in building.

Unfortunately, the medium became the method for the “home handyman who wanted to escape on a sailboat”. Many

30 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

hulls were started and ultimately used as swimming pools or planters as the dreamers ran out of money or enthusiasm. The greatest difficulty with ferrocement construction is knowing the condition of the reinforcing steel which is buried in the concrete.

Each of these building mediums has a potential for problems — it’s a surveyor’s job to find, identify and report on any problems which will affect the underwriter’s risk. A surveyor can only be a “general practitioner” and upon finding problem areas will wave a red flag to a client or underwriter and recommend that an expert be called in to determine the best method or cost of repair.

The following story provides an example of just how bad things can get. I call this the survey of the boat from hell.

The following story provides an example of just how bad things can get. I call this the survey of the boat from hell.

Joe Public turns 45 and finds he has a few bucks in the bank. His kids are growing up and he has a faraway look in his eye. ‘Martha,’ he says one day, ‘I think we need a boat.’

So he gets the Boat Journal, checks the classified ads in the local paper and starts reading Pacific Yachting. Soon, Martha and Joe are spending weekends in marinas and talking to yacht brokers.

marine surveying In no other field, except perhaps the Vancouver stock exchange, does the expression “buyer beware” have more meaning than in the used boat market.

In no other field, except perhaps the Vancouver stock exchange, does the expression “buyer beware” have more meaning than in the used boat market.

At XYZ Yacht Brokerage they find The Pelican, a 1975, 28-foot commandbridge cruiser with two big inboard gasoline engines. The broker does a great sales job on them, takes them for a quick spin around Burrard Inlet and the deal is done. Only $50,000 for this 20-year-old beauty that is going to be their new holiday home. Now, the closest Joe has been to boating is an occasional ride on the ferry, but ‘no worries,’ said the broker, ‘you can pick it up as you go along.’

Joe and Martha live in White Rock and find moorage at Crescent Beach Marina. On one fine Saturday they pack their teenage kids onboard and leave Burrard Inlet for Crescent Beach.

About an hour out Joe notices the fuel gauges are reading a little low — now he’s got his ESSO road map handy and he knows he’s going sort of south — he must be because there’s the airport on the left and there must be a gas station in Steveston.

Joe finds the fuel dock at Steveston; Martha and the kids, looking a little pale, head for the bathrooms, and Joe, feeling very proud of his new toy tells the attendant to “filler up” while he too heads for the head. Upon his return, the attendant hands him a bill for $300. This is Joe’s first clue that this boat may have not been such a good idea. These big gasoline engines are very expensive to run.

Joe finds the marina and, after grounding one propeller in the sand at the entrance, he ties up at his slip. Joe’s home and car are insured so he knows he should get his new toy insured too.

Off to his home insurance agent to have the boat added to his home policy. ‘Oh no,’ says the agent, ‘you need a separate marine policy and the underwriters

will need an out-of-the-water survey.’

‘What is a survey, who does them and what does it cost,’ asks Joe. The agent gives him a list of surveyors who are acceptable to their underwriters. He gets out his Boat Journal and finds a number of surveyor’s ads.

Here’s Phil Oldham a member of the Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C. and he’s on the list.

I meet Joe at the marina where he already has the boat out of the water.

A surveyor is basically a detective and a boat is the subject. I use a number of tools to help in my inspection: • a hammer, for sounding fibreglass and looking for separation of the laminates; • a magnifying glass to check for cracks in the fiberglass; • a spike to probe wood; • a sharp knife to scrape metals to check for corrosion; • a moisture meter to determine the moisture content of fibreglass and condition of underlying core material;

• a flashlight for looking into dark corners; and • a mirror to look behind panelling and equipment.

‘The decks and sides of The Pelican are in reasonable condition — a little cut polish and wax make her look like new,’ so said the broker to Joe. During my inspection of the bottom I find a number of hair-line cracks in the fibreglass about one-third of the way back from the bow and at the aft corners of the chines. These cracks are usually due either to flexing of the fibreglass or impact. Checking the interior hull, I find that both the bulkheads under the V-berth and the longitudinal support’s fibreglass tabbing are broken away from the hull. Upon opening the engine hatches in the cockpit, I’m greeted by the heady smell of gasoline and the sight of an oily sludge in the bilge. The transom on these boats is one and a half-inch plywood with about a quarter-inch of fibreglass on the outside and maybe a skin of fibreglass on the inside. Holes in the

Marine and Shipyard

Solutions

Commercial and Industrial Products CORIX supplies fire, water, bilge, booster, HVAC and waste products to the marine and shipyard industry and works with clients to develop and deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions.

• Engineered products and systems • Transmission products • Pipe and fittings

Building a World of Sustainable Communities

• Pump and piping systems • Shurjoint and Straub couplings • DeZURIK valves

604.455.3500 www.corix.com

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 31

marine surveying transom (for transducers, trim tabs, etc.) have allowed water to penetrate the wood and it is now badly rotted.

The hull stringers that provide stiffness to the hull, and are usually wood with a few layers of fibreglass over them, has, over time, been penetrated with water and now the wood is rotted.

With the stringers designed to support the engines, the engine mounting bolts now just keep turning.

As I check out the running gear — props, shafts and rudders — I notice a definite pinkish colour to the bronze, indicating galvanic corrosion or electrolysis. The zinc is being corroded away from the alloy leaving behind a very soft copper material. There are no sacrificial zincs fitted on the propeller shafts and the starboard propeller shaft has a large pit in it at the strut bearing (due to crevice corrosion caused by the stainless steel being deprived of oxygen). This boat has probably been lying idle for some time. The port rudder does not appear to be parallel to the starboard one because its shaft is bent

and there is some cracking in the fibreglass around its mount. There has been a serious impact here possibly related to the cracking at the bow.

...one of the lead acid batteries is lying on its side with battery acid spilled into the bilge.

Below decks I check out the electrical system and discover that one of the lead acid batteries is lying on its side with battery acid spilled into the bilge.

There is no master switch in the circuit between the batteries and the engine starters or the house service — if there was an electrical fire there would be no way of shutting off the electrical power.

The fuse panel had a strip of silver paper in one of the fuse holders and the terminal block was slightly charred.

The running lights did not work and the 12-volt circuits looked like Medusa’s hair. The wiring circuits would have to be checked by an electrician and

32 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

upgraded. The 120-volt system had no circuit breaker onboard and circuits were connected with screw-on connectors. There was an outlet in the shower stall. The people onboard would be unprotected from electric shock except for a questionable circuit breaker on the dock.

The machinery space exhaust fan had no ducting to the bilge so any fumes collected there would not be discharged overboard.

Inspecting the plumbing system revealed that the domestic water tank overflow led into the bilge. The bilge pump in the machinery space had no automatic float switch so if the boat did take on water it wouldn’t be discharged until Joe comes down to the boat — usually after a call from the marina.

The bilge pump discharge line exited the hull just above the water line so that if the boat is overloaded with gear for the weekend or snow load in the winter the opening would be underwater and sea water would flow back down the tubing.

marine surveying There were no valves on any through hull fittings. If a hose froze or got displaced, there would be no way to stop the flow of water into the boat. The through hull fittings were plastic (as opposed to bronze or good quality nylon and with seacocks to avoid breakage) and the hose clamps securing the hose to the through hull fittings were very rusted and looked as though they were about to fall off.

Moving next to the engine gasoline system: The fuel tank didn’t look too healthy and my magnet tells me it is made of steel. Given that it’s at least 20-yearold steel, it likely needed replacing — at the very least, pressure testing would be a good idea. There was no shut off in the fuel supply line — if the line ever got damaged or there was a fire, there was no way to shut off the fuel.

I gave a good pull on the tank fill hose and it came away from the deck fitting.

The deck fitting is bronze but 20 years prior someone put in a steel hose barb and now galvanic corrosion had caused the steel to deteriorate. Eventually, Joe was going to be filling his boat rather than his tank with gasoline.

As for the propane system, one thing Martha had insisted on was a good kitchen and a decent stove. The Pelican has a four-burner, RV-quality propanefired stove with an oven. ‘It’s a little rusty but it’ll clean up fine,’ said the broker. I lifted the top to check the tubing and, after brushing away at least a three-course meal, I found the aluminum tubing was corroded hard onto the steel frame of the stove.

I also discovered that the boat had a propane-fired instant water heater.

The copper propane line led from the propane cylinder (strapped in the corner of the cockpit) to the stove where a tee fitting led a plastic garden hose off to the water heater. The water heater was mounted on the heads compartment bulkhead.

‘What’s wrong with that,’ says Joe, who was now getting rather angry because I had been somewhat less than flattering of his new toy.

First, propane fumes would get into the machinery space every time the tank was changed (it has to be kept in a vapour-tight compartment); second, there had to be an approved type of supply hose leading from the regulator

Marine surveyors are expected by insurance underwriters to determine the cause of loss and cost to repair — a challenging process in this case. to each appliance; third, there was no pressure gauge fitted so the system couldn’t be checked for leaks; and fourth, the stove had to be changed for a marine-quality unit. The water heater had no exhaust vent and the heads door had no venting to let in air. One morning Joe was going to be reading in the library while Martha did the breakfast dishes and he would die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

I advised Joe that all of the abovementioned defects would require repair and would be described as recommendations in my report to the underwriters.

To add insult to injury, I charged him $500 for pointing out these problems and advised him that, in my opinion, his new toy was worth maybe $25,000.

If Joe and Martha had taken a Canadian Power Squadron course before buying the boat, they would have had a

much better idea of what they were getting into and their boating would have been much more pleasurable. Valuation of a vessel is probably the most difficult section to report. A typical Bayliner 25, 1981 is easy because there are many and a comparable, recent sale can easily be found. The real difficulty arises when an unusual or owner-built vessel is surveyed. Resource material like the internet, international magazines and yacht brokers should be consulted before a final fair market value is put in a report.

Philip Oldham is the owner of Philip Oldham Marine Surveyors Ltd. He has been surveying pleasure craft in the Lower Mainland and overseas for 26 years. Prior to his surveying career he sailed offshore for six years and has worked as a delivery and charter captain. Philip can be reached at: philipoldham@shaw.ca.

A real fixer-upper and a steal at $5,000.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 33

MARINE SURVEYING

Marine engineer surveys:

Going beyond inspection

By Todd Braconnier

I

n the marine transportation world, the marine surveyor plays an integral role in providing expert consultation within the shipping industry on the condition, construction and damage of ships, and the stowage and transportation of cargoes. They can also assess values for insurance claims, appraisals for sale, regulatory certification and safety inspection processes for a wide range of marine vessels and their cargo. This expert knowledge is rarely something that can be learned from text books alone and marine surveyors generally have extensive firsthand experience in their field.

Most marine surveyors do not survey engines or running machinery in great depth. They will usually check the basic engine performance and probably run the engine. For more analysis, the surveyor must be fully qualified and contracted to perform a greater inspection; they will normally refer the owner to a marine engineer surveyor or manufacture representative. Surveys conducted by a surveyor with an engineering background allow the owner to request techniques such as cost planning, estimating, cost analysis, cost-in-use studies and value management to establish a project budget.

On completion of design and requests, the surveyor may prepare a

Bill of Quantities, which is issued with the specification, for use by contractors in submitting tenders. The surveyors/estimators generally prepare tenders, and may price alternatives for consideration. The surveyor is usually involved in assessing tenders and may also have been asked to advise on the type of contract or special clauses in it and at the same time oversee the repair to completion.

Being a marine surveyor with an engineering background opens up more extensive investigation into the running machinery.

Being a marine surveyor with an engineering background opens up more extensive investigation into the running machinery. In addition, experience in budgets and maintenance repairs as well as the ability to conduct inspections, surveys or examinations of marine vessels allows the owner to contract one project manager that can see the project through to completion.

By this definition, one can appreciate the vast range of knowledge and qualifications expected of a surveyor.

Like many other professional fields,

34 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

marine surveyors usually narrow their focus of interest into areas of expertize based on practical industry experience. Besides the safety aspect, marine surveying is frequently associated with marine insurance, damage and salvage, and accident and fraud investigation as insurers generally lack the training and skills required to perform a detailed assessment of the condition of a vessel.

The best way to describe the work of a marine surveyor with experience in engineering is to relate examples of the type of issues that we’ll run across: Example One While in port for a short period of time, a vessel required repairs and inspection of air entering the steering system. The repairs had to be complete before departure.

Upon investigation, it was found that the issue was not air entering the system but rather that the electronic servo-pump controller was causing alarm issues when the steering helm order was given for hard to starboard.

Attempts had been made by the crew to adjust several variable resistor potentiometers on the servo pump control card to eliminate the cause of the pump alarm. Several VR pots were used for the purpose of fine adjustments. These are also related to the potentiometer in the feedback pot.

MARINE SURVEYING While on site, the potentiometer was changed and several fine adjustments were made by the crew. While this eliminated the alarm from the #2 pump servo when helm gave the hard to starboard order, burn marks were evident on the control card. The servo card for the #1 pump was inspected and it was found that the card had been upgraded recently.

Example Two A vessel operator requested the onboard inspection of an air-conditioning distributor unit to determine if repairs could be conducted. Upon investigation, it was determined that the distributor unit required complete replacement.

This involved removing the unit from the system, including the 27 coil lines coming from the high pressure side of the distributor. The new distributor had to be sourced according to orifice and was fabricated in the shop before attempting to install it on site.

Once the distributor unit was removed, there were several other coil lines that had severe chaffing marks. The replacement unit was fabricated to facilitate the removal of the areas of concern on the high-pressure side and the lowpressure side.

Once the damaged unit was removed, the new distributor unit was brazed into location, all coil lines were re-attached and checked. Upon completion of all connections, the air conditioning unit was pressure-tested with nitrogen to 300 p.s.i. to determine if the unit had any leaks. There was one

leak located on the high-pressure side that required re-brazing then the unit was re-tested with 300 p.s.i. and confirmed to be holding.

The dryer was changed and the vacuum was put on system for two hours and pulled down to 1,000 micron. The unit was re-charged with R-22 gas and tested for two more hours before departing.

Example Three With another short repair time available to complete an exchange of a bow thruster Ulstein 250 TV unit that had a fractured CP blade at the hub, inspection of drawings was done prior to the vessel’s arrival into port so that a work plan could be in place to start as soon as the vessel arrived. The fractured CP blade was causing a loss of oil from the unit which was then contaminating the drive. While the vessel was in port discharging and loading containers, the following work was completed in time to ensure the vessel kept its schedule.

As soon as the vessel arrived in port, a meeting was held to determine the procedures for the removal of the old unit and installation of the new one. As the vessel was being ballasted, we started the removal of the access hatch to the thruster compartment and, once the hatch was removed, the electric motor was disconnected from the mounting flange on the thruster unit and the vessel’s crane was used to remove the motor.

New thruster unit prepared for installation.

Preparing the tunnel for the removal of CP blades.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 35

Ad.indd 1

MARINE SURVEYING As internal preparations were being made, the tunnel was being prepared for the removal of the unit. Guide rails and lifting lugs were installed for the removal of the three remaining CP blades. As this was being completed, the new Ulstein 250 TV unit was prepared for installation.

As the blades were being removed from the thruster, it was noticed that the #1 blade propeller seal was damaged so it was decided to use the new four seals supplied when re-installing. It was also noticed that there was only about 40 litres of oil in the new unit when drained. Upon completing the draining of the unit, 100 litres of fresh oil was pumped into the unit and then removed to insure the unit was clean.

It was further noticed that the mounting flange was supplied on the new unit with studs. Due to the mounting ring for the electric motor being bored for the mounting bolts, the shorter studs were removed and the old Allen mounting bolts were used. The new thruster unit was covered and made ready for installation.

When the tunnel area had been prepped for the removal of the remaining three CP blades, the locks were removed and oil and water were pumped from the unit. Upon removing the blade-securing bolts however, it was found that the clearance between the blade tips and the stainless steel liner in the tunnel was too tight. The old mounting bolts were measured and found to be stretched; also, the blades were ground down on the tips.

BRINGING INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE TO EVERY PROJECT Marine Engineering Naval Architecture Marine Surveys Project Management Terminal Design Engineering With Vision

Vessel Design Refit Design

BMT Fleet Technology Ltd, an operating company of BMT Group Ltd, is a leader in providing through-life engineering support to the marine sector. From planning and design to implementation engineering through operations and maintenance, we offer a wide range of expertise to address your needs. BMT provides effective solutions while managing risk and cost.

Our projects include ferries and terminals, work and supply boats, research vessels, floating platforms, as well as condition assessments, environmental assessments, hazardous materials assessments and operational risk management.

Vancouver, B.C. 1-604-253-0955 Victoria, B.C. 1-250-598-5150 www.fleetech.com fleet@fleetech.com

The new blades were 6.5 mm longer than the old blades, meaning that an overall 13 mm increase in diameter in the tunnel was needed to allow the new blades to be installed and also make sure there was no contact with the liner and blade tips when operating.

The old thruster unit was prepared for removal — a beam was installed across the access hatch to the thruster compartment and a three-ton chain fall connected to the lifting lug was installed into the centre of the pinion shaft. The remaining bolts mounting the thruster were removed and the unit was lowered down onto guide rails welded into the thruster tube. The old unit was removed with a shore crane and the blades and struts were removed from the tunnel. The new unit was placed into position on the port side onto the rails along with all blades and struts loaded onto a float.

At this time the liner was completely removed from the inside of the tunnel to allow for the installation of the supplied blades due to the increase in blade length. The new thruster unit was slid into position, all flanges were cleaned and a new “O” ring installed. The unit was lined up with three guide bars, 60 cm long, and the flange-to-flange faces were kept parallel. The unit was lifted until contact was made.

Mounting bolts were installed and torqued-up.

The CP blades were repaired for installation — all surfaces were cleaned and new propeller seals installed. Each blade was torqued to 590 nm in four steps according to the proper tightening sequence. Even with the liner removed from the tunnel, the clearance for the blade installation was still tight. After the blades were installed, the two struts were fitted and welded and lock bars were installed onto strut bolts.

Inside the thruster compartment, the hydraulic piping was installed with modification to the piping from the header tank, all joints were tightened and the unit was made ready for the installation of the electric motor. The electric motor was installed with a new drive coupling insert. Oil was pumped into the unit; the hub was vented from the tunnel; and blades were checked for leakage and found to be in a sealed condition. The electric motor was connected and the CP pump started. The blades were worked back and forth to check all seals. All blade seals were found to be in good condition and the unit was set for zero pitch. Locking bars were then installed on the blade mounting bolts.

The old thruster unit was made ready for shipping.

As noted in the opening, above, the marine surveyor is an integral part of the inspection process. Luckily, throughout the marine industry there exists a number of credible marine consultants and surveyors with varied experience either as independent consultants or with reputable companies.

The key is to determine the etxtent of the survey inspection that is required or desired and then select an individual with compatible credentials and experience capable of providing the service that is required.

Todd Braconnier is a Certified Marine Engineer with over 30 years practical knowledge supported by management and marine superintendent experience. He can be reached at tcbroc@ shaw.ca.

36 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013 05/10/2012 15:59:31

MARINE SURVEYING

Deepsea and underwater surveys:

On, over and under the sea With Captain Andrew Korek

O

ver 90 per cent of the world’s global trade is carried by commercial deepsea vessels. On any given day there are over 300 commercial, ocean-going vessels in B.C. waters loading and unloading a wide range of cargoes. Whether it be for a tanker, container, bulk or break bulk ship, deepsea vessel surveyors perform a number of services that require a complex skill set based on training, experience and practical problem-solving abilities.

Before tackling the issue of qualifications, however, it’s worthwhile to look at the many aspects of deepsea vessel surveying — and with the help of Capt. Andrew Korek, Phoenix Marine Services — an added perspective of the even more specialized work of underwater surveying.

Like all marine surveyors, deepsea and underwater surveyors are hired to assess, report on and recommend solutions for any number of issues arising for owners and operators of commercial ships, either at sea or in port.

Deepsea vessel surveyors will often be able to offer services for draft surveys, on/off hire condition surveys and damage investigations, pre-purchase surveys, P&I surveys, stability surveys, stowage and lashing, loading supervision, and marine insurance surveys to name a few.

From a vessel knowledge standpoint, surveyors must be equipped with skills that will help them deal with every part of the ship and every activity performed by the ship. From the engine

room and mechanical inspections to the hull to cargo (including sampling and testing as well as movement logistics), successful deepsea vessel surveyors must be adept in all ship operations.

In the case of underwater surveyors, additional services can range from inwater class surveys to hull cleaning to underwater video or photography surveys and sonar surveys to in-water ballast tank inspection and maintenance.

Underwater surveys can often speed up inspection times and allow ship owners to avoid costly haul-outs and dry dock situations.

At a minimum, deepsea vessel surveyors are required to have at least five years of experience as master in command of ocean-going vessels.

Additional disciplines, such as marine engineering or naval architecture, will enhance the surveyor’s abilities to deal with issues related to vessel construction and stability, mechanical and engine systems, auxiliary systems and cargo handling. Surveyors must know marine regulations and best safety practices, international maritime law, equipment and safety compliance codes, classification rules, investigative practices for marine incidents and insurance claims. Add to this the highly specialized skills required for underwater surveying, and it is rare to find someone who has obtained such training and experience.

While a number of routes can be taken to obtain qualifications for underwater surveying, taking Capt.

Korek as our example (the only underwater surveyor within the Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C.), the military provided a significant foundation, followed by commercial diving and subsequent training with specialized equipment and technologies, such as sonars, ultrasonic thickness gauges and other Non Destructive Testing (NDT) methods. Not only are the qualifications extensive, but an underwater surveyor’s diving capabilities must be such that he can perform these duties in adverse weather conditions and under strict timelines. And, as with all marine surveyors, the ability to provide a clear and concise report on findings as well as the abilities to recommend remedies and undertake the management of such remedies are crucial elements to a surveyor’s success.

A typical job for Capt. Korek will often involve an in-water inspection in lieu of dry-docking on a submerged part of a vessel’s hull. The following example provides a good overview of the steps required and the full extent of the surveyor’s responsibilities.

Called upon by the ship’s owners, Phoenix Marine Services attended to a bulk carrier afloat at Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver. The vessel was 225 metres in length with a 32.26-metre beam and gross tonnage of 40,532. The work to be performed included a Lloyd’s Class bottom survey afloat in lieu of dry-docking and removal by oxy-thermic cutting of a detached portion of the bilge keel.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 37

marine surveying The task was carried out in two phases — the first to conduct the inspection, starting with the aft section, relocation of the dive station and resumption of the inspection on the forward section. The second dive follows the completion of the survey and a meeting with ship’s staff to discuss recommended repairs.

As part of the survey, Capt. Korek will provide a full report on the conditions of the rudder, the propeller, sea chests, bilge keels and hull. The report will be accompanied by video, photographs and detailed schematics to give the ship’s owner a comprehensive understanding of the findings. For this particular example, a second dive to carry out repairs was necessary — in this case, to remove the detached portion of the starboard bilge keel which had been found deflected upwards and detached from the doubling plate between frames 112 and 117. Another significant deflection of the bilge was noted between frames 118 and 122 and divers reported a section with upward deflection approximately 30 cm from the original position.

A key part of the surveyor’s report is the final “Remarks and Recommendations” section which will summarize key findings, remedies and recommendations for future maintenance and upgrades. For this example, Capt. Korek’s survey found that: • significant areas of surface corrosion

Inspection of hulls by underwater surveys can cut down on time delays and the expense of dry-docking. reported by the diver during inspection are caused by evident lack of sufficient anticorrosive protection, what ultimately calls for the improvement of such, by fitting new and additional anodes in the near future in addition to the existing ICCP system.

• Due to the earlier than expected ship’s departure, divers did not have enough time to smooth rough edges of the cut at the starboard bilge keel, which should be attended at the earliest convenience. Coating of the edges after grinding would be also recommended.

• Cracks and weld seam fracture at the rudder should be monitored and rewelded as soon as possible.

38 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

• The captioned vessel is kept in impeccable condition. Master, deck officers, engineers and crew are able, co-operative and motivated. They were very helpful at all time during the course of diving operations.

In addition to details on conditions found, Capt. Korek outlines the equipment used to accomplish the work — in this case: • Diver Communication System • Surface Supplied Diving Gear • Diving Helmets • Underwater cameras and lights • CCTV Underwater Digital Video System • U/W Welding and Cutting Equipment • Ultrasonic Thickness gauges • NDT tools and equipment While the above is a good example of the work done by underwater surveying, it illustrates just one issue that will arise in the survey of a deepsea vessel.

Surveyors can be called upon to address matters related to the hull, machinery and cargo operations, hence requiring a full understanding of commercial ships and their operations that can only come from extensive training and experience.

Capt. Andrew Frank Korek, President of Phoenix Marine Services Inc. is a Master Mariner, a member of the Company of Master Mariners, the Nautical Institute and the International Association of Maritime Security Professionals (where he is a board member). He is also Vice President of the Association of Marine Surveyors of British Columbia.

legal affairs

Must a ship owner pay for the negligence of an assist tug?

The case of the Dubai Fortune

By James Vander Woude A lawyer with Bernard & Partners

A

recent decision of the Federal Court of Canada explores the concept of vicarious liability in tug and tow operations: Grieg Shipping A/S v. Dubai Fortune (Ship), 2012 FC 1110 [Dubai Fortune]. The Plaintiff, Grieg Shipping A/S, sued the ship Dubai Fortune and its owner for $2.7 million on the basis that the ship was vicariously liable for the damage suffered by the “M.V. Star Hansa” (Star Hansa) when a tug involved in berthing the Dubai Fortune collided with the Star Hansa’s propeller. The case proceeded to the Federal Court.

Vicarious liability is a long-standing legal concept where person “A” is held liable for the wrong committed by person “B”, even though A is personally innocent of wrong-doing. For instance, employers are commonly found vicariously liable for the negligence of their employees. The legal justification for this is that the employee acts under the direction and control of their employer.

According to Linden and Feldthausen in their text Canadian Tort Law (ninth edition), in order to establish vicarious liability a plaintiff must persuade the court of three things: • that B committed a fault-based tort, often negligence; • that A and B have an employeremployee relationship, or a

relationship with a similar degree of control; and • that the wrongful act committed

by B is sufficiently related to conduct authorized by A so as to justify imposing vicarious liability on A. The court in Dubai Fortune case had two main issues before it: whether the owner of the Dubai Fortune was vicariously liable for the damage done by the assist tug to the Star Hansa; and if so, the appropriate measure of damages.

The Plaintiff...sued the ship...on the basis that the ship was vicariously liable for the damage suffered...when a tug involved in berthing...collided with the Star Hansa’s propeller.

Facts

On the morning of June 22, 2007, the tug “Tiger Shark 2” (the Shark) struck the propeller of the Star Hansa during the berthing operation of the Dubai Fortune. The berthing team was composed of two pilots on board the Dubai Fortune and three tugs: the Shark, the Spirit and the Sun. The Shark was the line tug and as such was not made fast to the Dubai Fortune as were the Spirit

and the Sun. The Shark’s main duties during berthing were: • to act as the eyes of the pilots onboard the Dubai Fortune as she advanced into the narrow Neptune Berth #3, a ‘finger berth’ next to the Lynnterm Berth #1 which was occupied by the Star Hansa; and • to run the Dubai Fortune’s bowlines to waiting longshoremen once the ship was in final position in the berth.

When this last operation was accomplished, the Shark was to traverse the narrow passage between the Dubai Fortune and the Star Hansa, behind the Spirit and the Sun, which were operating as bow and stern assist tugs respectively. These two tugs provided assistance in pushing and/or holding at the request of the pilots aboard the Dubai Fortune in order to hold the ship in its final position until it could be secured.

Without notifying the pilots, and before the Dubai Fortune’s lines had been secured, the Shark left its position as the Shark’s master was near the end of his 12-hour shift. Another tug, the “Pacific Tyee”, was standing ready to replace the Shark in the berthing operation.

As the Shark traversed the narrow passage between the Dubai Fortune and

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 39

legal affairs Photo credit: Robert Etchell

the Star Hansa, she maneuvered close to the Sun’s stern in order to minimize the effect of the wash from the Sun’s propellers. The Shark bumped the stern of the Sun, which was tied to the starboard stern quarter of the Dubai Fortune. The Shark veered sharply across the narrow channel and struck the Star Hansa.

Legal Principles

Justice Lemieux summarized the applicable legal principles on the vicarious liability issue in the context of tug and tow in this way: [48] In these circumstances, the law of vicarious liability is settled law. In order for a person to be vicariously liable requires justification. In negligence cases, that justification resides in the concept of control, the giving of orders or direction, at the time of incident, over how or [in what] manner the relevant negligent act was to be performed.

The proper question to ask to determine control is “who was entitled to give orders to prevent the negligent act” that caused the damage.

Justice Lemieux said that while the tow (the Dubai Fortune) is generally presumed to have control over the tug, “which vessel is in control is a question of fact to be determined in every case.”

The “focus of the inquiry is on the relevant negligent act in question.” The proper question to ask to determine control is “who was entitled to give orders to prevent the negligent act” that caused the damage.

Who was liable for the accident?

The evidence was clear that the master of the Shark had not asked the pilots’ permission to depart before the berthing operation was complete. The Plaintiff’s counsel argued that the relevant negligent act was the Shark’s early and unauthorized departure. Such an act would have been notionally within the control of the pilots, who testified that they would not have given permission to the Shark to leave early had the master asked permission.

The Star Hansa entering Vancouver’s harbour.

Justice Lemieux found that the relevant negligent act was actually the manner in which the master of the Shark had maneuvered his tug after leaving position at the end of his shift, causing him to glance off the stern of the Sun and careen into the Star Hansa.

Justice Lemieux found that the pilots on the Dubai Fortune never had control over the Shark’s movements at the relevant times.

Justice Lemieux found that the pilots on the Dubai Fortune never had control over the Shark’s movements at the relevant times. Therefore, the Plaintiff had failed to prove that the Defendant, Fortune Maritime, was vicariously liable for the negligent actions of the Shark. Justice Lemieux said: [50] …Appreciating the evidence as a whole, the evidence of the pilots and all of the tug masters involved in the berthing of the Dubai Fortune was unanimous on one point. The pilots did not give the tug masters engaged in the berthing anything but general orders to the assist tugs and none to the line tug, the Shark. The pilots conceded they do not control how a tug master manoeuvres or drives his tug; it is within the prerogative of the tug masters to implement the pilots general orders.

40 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

The evidence is overwhelming the control test was not made out by the Plaintiff.

As vicarious liability was not proven the court did not examine the question of damages.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates how vicarious liability works in a tug and tow context. To establish vicarious liability, the Plaintiff must show: • that the tug negligently caused damage; • that the tow generally had a relationship of control over the tug; and • that the tow had control, in terms of giving orders, over how the relevant act of negligence was performed.

The Plaintiff failed to prove vicarious liability because the court found that the negligent act which caused the damage was the way the master maneuvered the Shark. All the witnesses were agreed that pilots merely give general orders and have no control over the specific way a tug master maneuvers his vessel. Therefore the Dubai Fortune did not have control over the Shark at the time of the accident and could not be held liable for the Shark’s actions.

A notice of appeal has been filed with the Federal Court of Appeal so this may not be the final word on the issue.

James Vander Woude is lawyer with Bernard & Partners and can be reached at vanderwoude@bernardpartners.com.

MARINE INVESTIGATIONS BMT De Beer/BMT ARGOSS

Forensics of the sea

By Jeroen De Haas, Managing Director, BMT De Beer and Han Wensink, Managing Director, BMT ARGOSS

T

he sheer magnitude of insurance claims year on year within the shipping industry is striking.

The complexities that now come with these claims is placing increasing pressure on surveyors to employ ever more sophisticated techniques in their quest to determine the reasons behind an incident and ascertain where the liability falls.

Jeroen De Haas, Managing Director of BMT De Beer, and Han Wensink, Managing Director of BMT ARGOSS, subsidiaries of BMT Group, explain the complexities behind marine investigations. Particularly highlighting how modern methods such as simulation techniques can allow accurate reconstruction of incidents with the ability to reduce risk and uncertainty.

Both Jeroen and Han will also highlight the importance of understanding the metocean (wind, wave and current) conditions at the time of the incident. Weather and sea states have always been the dominating factors of incidents occurring or revealing a weakness in a system onboard a ship.

This hasn’t changed but the availability of accurate data on such conditions has and must now be seen as an important aspect when presenting a case in court.

Without shipping, global trade, the bulk transport of raw materials and the import/export of affordable food and manufactured goods would simply not be possible. Despite the fact that ships have never been so technically advanced, carried so much cargo, or been as environmentally friendly as they are today, accidents still happen, which in turn leads to many claims being made.

Although complex, the common reasons for these accidents occurring can include a lack of knowledge of the stringent requirements associated with cargo transportation and human error.

Over the last three years in particular, where the maritime logistics supply

Jeroen De Haas, BMT De Beer.

Han Wensink, BMT ARGOSS.

chain has had to cope with the economic crisis and look at ways of reducing costs, there has also been a more worrying trend towards cutting corners in some areas of transportation. Lashing and securing of cargo is one such area where in the past, the approach was to invest in marine surveyors to monitor and certify the lashing and securing. The decision to reduce or avoid the costs for such expert intervention only serves to exacerbate the issue and increase the number of claims. On the other hand, the use of accurate weather forecast information can be deployed to reduce lashings in a responsible way, avoiding the costs of unnecessary “over lashing” of the cargo.

Carrying out marine investigations after an incident is no mean feat and can be extremely complex and timeconsuming. Firstly, the investigators must try and provide a reconstruction of what happened. Courts always have to rely on witness statements which, by its very nature are always going to be somewhat subjective. Therefore, it’s important for courts and arbitrators to obtain an expert opinion on

the cause of the incident, based on certainties rather than assumptions. This is vital to arrive at an objective and well-founded conclusion or arbitration award.

Carrying out marine investigations after an incident is no mean feat and can be extremely complex and timeconsuming.

The forensic investigators must secure the necessary evidence in order to prove what they think has happened, did indeed occur. Technology can play an integral role within this phase so that robust and reliable evidence can be sourced. However, shipping is a very traditional market and there is an inherent hesitancy towards change. It is for this reason that the majority of investigations are still to this day, carried out using very basic methods such as notebooks and cameras, despite more sophisticated technologies being available.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 41

MARINE INVESTIGATIONS

3D animation and modelling is a much more effective way to help the courts understand occurrences at sea.

Most importantly, it is the job of the surveyor to demonstrate to a court or arbitration panel that the evidence they are presenting is the most reliable and robust available. Although London in particular has very qualified marine arbitrators and courts, the industry is witnessing a geographical shift change where many cases are now being presented to a judge who has little or no experience of being at sea. This lack of marine knowledge can often hinder a case, especially if the evidence being presented is technically complex, subjective, or insubstantial due to the use of basic assessment techniques.

Harnessing sophisticated technologies such as simulation and 3D animation within complex marine investigations can be the difference

between winning and losing a case.

Ultimately, technology can help to minimize the level of uncertainty and provide more robust evidence to courts and arbitration panels. So what are these technologies and how much of an impact can they have?

Although laboratory testing has been around for many years, the advanced quality and the level of testing is most certainly noteworthy. For example, if we are looking to detect possible chemical contaminants for a particular case, 10 years ago we would be able to measure in parts per million. Today, through cutting-edge technology and equipment we are able to measure in parts per billion, therefore the level of accuracy when determining possible contaminants is far greater. The ability

42 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

to evaluate ship motions by carrying out computer modelling or tank testing is also of significant advantage, providing additional assurances that the conclusions reached are indeed correct and accurate.

Harnessing sophisticated technologies such as simulation and 3D animation within complex marine investigations can be the difference between winning and losing a case.

Determining the actual ship behaviour at the time of the collision or incident through innovative simulation techniques can provide the courts with a real appreciation of the conditions the ship experienced. By utilizing the vessel’s recordings, AIS data (Automatic Identification Systems) and environmental data (wind, current, sea state, etc.), this information can be directly plugged into a model which simulates how the vessel was behaving, leading up to the time of the accident or incident. This can provide the court or arbitration panel with a much clearer and accurate picture of what actually happened.

Couple this with high quality metocean information which is backed up by satellite observation and surveyors would be able to provide much more reliable and robust evidence. A ship owner can exonerate its liability if it can prove that the weather at the time of the incident is deemed excessive and

marine investigations extraordinary. Never in history have insurers or owners really succeeded in providing such information unless they were armed with weather statements from other ships in the area at the time of the incident, who also experienced similar problems.

In a recent case where BMT provided surveying support, a ship lost its hatch covers in extremely heavy weather and, as a result, the cargo got wet and the ship almost sunk. By providing detailed wave data that demonstrated the waves were in the region of 30 metres at the time of the accident, the insurance company succeeded in proving that this incident occurred due to extreme weather conditions and the ship owner was able to exonerate itself

from liability. Cases similar to this have resulted in a considerable step change in marine surveying and insurance as this type of evidence has never been available before.

Furthermore, technology such as 3D animation can use the predictions determined by the simulation model to create a cartoon reproduction to visually appreciate the conditions and course of events at the time of the incident. This can be particularly effective for a judge who may not have any marine experience. Trying to explain to a judge, who has no knowledge of a ship, how the ship exactly behaved at the time of the incident, would be near impossible to do on a piece of paper. 3D animation therefore, is an

extremely effective way of presenting the case.

By utilizing these sophisticated technologies, BMT is putting itself at the forefront of marine surveying.

Although shipping has always been described as a traditional market, the new generation of younger people coming into the industry and their enthusiasm for new technology will certainly help to drive such modern methods forward. However, as we see less and less ex-mariners handling the cases and more who are trying to solve these cases based on legal merit alone, we must try to educate the industry in recognizing that technological insight can be the difference between winning and losing a case.

Detailed wave data, as seen above, can help establish the cause of an incident at sea due to extreme weather.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 43

trade routes

The Saint Lawrence Seaway: Canada’s man-made wonder

By Captain Stephen Brown President, Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia

W

hen I wrote an article earlier this year on the world’s leading man-made canals, I deliberately omitted to include our own man-made wonder, namely the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Without the Saint Lawrence, the history of North America would most certainly have turned out to be very different from what we have today. Before development, the entire region was little more than a complex of swamps, forests, mountain ranges, and rugged, inhospitable land. The river cut through this wilderness joining huge land-locked lakes and thus made travel possible and, arguably, inevitable. It enabled white settlers to decimate native populations and served as the central artery for the ensuing bitter colonial and continental wars. Its shore became home to major cities and migrations that today shape North America — and it all began not so very long ago.

The first attempt to develop a sea passage of sorts goes back as far as 1680 with French explorer Dollier de Casson’s attempt to build a 1.5 m deep canal. However, there was seemingly no solution to the challenge of the Lachine Rapids between the Island of Montreal and the south shore, and the project therefore progressed no further than Montreal.

Consistent with the growing international interest and expertise in

building canals, the project was revived in the late 1800s; in 1824 the first canal opened; and by 1855 there was a rudimentary direct connection between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Lake Superior.

The initial proposal for a fully binational deep waterway along the Saint Lawrence came in the 1890s primarily driven by the United States. The U.S. concept of a power project linked to a deep-water seaway became an increasingly attractive development option up to and including the First World War but did not gather much enthusiasm in Ottawa until the 1920s.

The Seaway itself is a system of six canals...connected to 19 locks to compensate for the height of Lake Superior over sea level.

On account of opposition at various times from both Ontario and Quebec, Prime Minister Mackenzie King could not muster backing to move the project forward, but in 1932 the two countries finally signed a treaty. Unfortunately, U.S. politics also came into play and the treaty failed to achieve the support of Congress. Development therefore stalled until 1941 when President Roosevelt and Prime Minister King signed a new agreement but Congress killed this too, not least on account of

44 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

successful lobbying from powerful U.S. railway and port interests and understandable pre-occupation with the Second World War. With the distractions of war resolved, Canada began to consider building a purely Canadian canal. This generated no small amount of angst to both the Truman and Eisenhower administrations who came up with all manner of tactics to stall progress until 1954 when the Wiley-Dondero Act was signed, essentially a joint commitment to construction.

Thanks to the labours of an army of 15,000 men and women, the Seaway opened in April 1959 at a cost of C$470 million, a disproportionate percentage of which (71 per cent) was paid by the Canadian government. Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally opened the Seaway with a short cruise aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The Seaway itself is a system of six canals, namely South Shore, Beauharnois, Wiley-Dondero, Iriquois, Welland and St. Mary’s Falls connected through 19 locks to compensate for the height of Lake Superior over sea level.

All but two of the locks are Canadian and are built to allow ships of up to 225.5 m in length, 23.8 m in beam and 8.08 m in draft to transit.

Interesting facts compiled by Saint Lawrence River Restoration Council:

trade routes Photo credit: Vladimir Knyaz

• The River is the world’s longest deepdraft inland waterway.

• Just east of Massena, NY, the River leaves the U.S. border and becomes solely a Canadian river.

• The upper Saint Lawrence and the Thousand Islands was once called “The Garden of the Great Spirit” by Native Americans.

• The Seaway took 15,000 people and four years to build, beginning in 1955.

• The River has the largest discharge of any river in North America.

• Only the polar ice caps contain more fresh water than the Great Lakes.

For those of us blessed to live in the mild climate of Canada’s West Coast, our first thoughts when we think of shipping on the East Coast and St. Lawrence are the challenges of winter.

In this we are not mistaken. The first ice formation in this area occurs in the Saint Lawrence River itself normally during the second week of December and the floes are carried downstream to the Quebec City area shortly after the middle of the month. The Seaway is therefore normally closed beyond Montreal for the winter season from late December to late March although efforts are made to minimize the window of closure on a year-to-year basis depending on the severity of icing.

The tradition of handing out a gold headed cane to the first ships arriving at ports along the St. Lawrence River started in the days when the river froze over in the winter. The first sail ships did not make it up the river until the spring thaw whereas today, the river is kept open year round to commercial traffic by Coast Guard icebreakers.

In 2011, the Seaway moved some 37.5 million tons of cargo, two-thirds of which was bulk products. Since 1959, more than 2.5 billion tons of cargo, valued at some $375 billion, has moved to and from Canada, the U.S., and nearly 50 other nations. Almost 25 per cent of the population of North America lives on the Seaway’s direct hinterland, thereby underscoring the economic importance of the system to the entire region. The Seaway is nowadays marketed as Highway H2O in an effort to increase traffic.

Both freshwater and ocean-going fleets use the Seaway, but in recent

The St. Lawrence Seaway has 19 locks between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. years, vessels that sail only on the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence account for 70 to 80 per cent of its traffic. Nevertheless, by making it possible for large ships to sail uninterrupted from the Atlantic to Lake Superior and back, the seaway has played a vital role in Canada’s growth and prosperity over the past half century.

The waterway has proved particularly indispensable in moving grain from the Canadian Prairies and the American Midwest to terminals on the lower St. Lawrence for eventual delivery to export markets around the world. Having carried grain east, ships will often back-load iron ore from the mines of Quebec and Labrador and sail

up the St. Lawrence to the steel mills of Hamilton, Nanticoke and Sault Ste. Marie, and American manufacturing centres such as Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago.

Reputedly the first association of marine pilots in Canada, the “Corporation of Pilots for and below the Harbour of Quebec” was created in 1860. In 1960, their successor organization, the “Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots” was formed. The continuous pilotage distance from Les Escoumins and Quebec is 123 nautical miles and 172 miles between Quebec and Port Alfred.

The Canadian Pilotage Act which came into effect on February 1, 1972

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 45

trade routes created four pilotage regions with specific authorities, namely the Atlantic, Laurentian, Great Lakes and Pacific Pilotage Authorities. The Authorities are individual Crown Corporations, responsible to Parliament through the Minister of Transport.

The Great Lakes Pilotage Authority, Limited was established and incorporated in 1972 as a subsidiary of the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. The role and objectives of the Authority are to establish, operate, maintain and administer, in the interest of safety, an efficient and economical pilotage service within its geographical boundaries; all waters in the Province of Quebec south of the northern entrance to St. Lambert Lock and all Canadian waters in and around the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. (Pilotage in the international waters within the boundaries is shared with United States of America Pilot Corporations, which are under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard, as agreed under a memorandum of arrangements between the countries.)

By the 1870s, most immigrants were carried to Canada by steam ships and most of those to Montreal. It is therefore reasonable to assume that many of the ancestors of those who read this article will have started their lives with a trip up the Seaway to Montreal and/or Quebec. Many were

The Saint Lawrence Seaway — it took 15,000 people and four years to build at a cost of $470 million.

A common sight: the CSL Laurentian, one of many Great Lakes Bulkers transiting the seaway.

46 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

carried by the liners of Canadian Pacific but numerous other companies were also involved in this highly lucrative trade until the airline industry took over. Today however, the ports of the Saint Lawrence are part of a popular and expanding cruise trade with most major lines offering itineraries to the region.

To ensure the system’s reliability, in 2009 the U.S. based Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) initiated a 10-year, $134 million (USD) Asset Renewal Program for its navigation infrastructure and facilities. This investment will address various repair and rehabilitation needs for the two U.S. Seaway locks, the Seaway International Bridge connecting Ontario and New York, maintenance dredging, operational systems and Corporation facilities and equipment.

...by making it possible for large ships to sail uninterrupted from the Atlantic to Lake Superior and back, the seaway has played a vital role in Canada’s growth and prosperity over the past half century.

In June 2011, mayors of the “Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative” welcomed the U.S. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, under which the U.S. Federal Government committed $475 million in 2010 for noninfrastructure protection and restoration projects in the Great Lakes region and called on the Canadian government to match U.S. funding. Mayors are also pressing on the American and Canadian Federal Governments to enact a binational sustainable commitment to the region, supported by long-term funding.

The Canadian equivalent of the SLSDC, the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), also annually invests millions of dollars in preventative maintenance expenditures and system upgrades for Canada’s 13 Seaway locks. The budget for the SLSMC’s five-year capital investment program (2009-2013) is C$270 million.

It should be noted that with the decision of Ottawa in 2010 to waive the 25 per cent import tax on new ships of LOA 129 m and above, Canadian ship owners are investing more than $1 billion (CAD) with Chinese shipyards to bring a new generation of fuel efficient, eco-friendly ships to the Great Lakes-Seaway over the next few years.

There can be no doubt that although the Seaway continues to operate at 50 to 60 per cent of capacity, it is a great asset to both Canada and the United States. However, the technology of the 1950s is aging and a program of continuous upgrades is essential if utilization is to be increased and full benefits realized. Let’s hope the money can be found for that to happen.

Stephen Brown joined the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia in September 2008. He currently sits on several committees and boards representing the interests of the B.C. shipping community. He can be reached at stephen@cosbc.ca. For more information on the Chamber, please visit: www.cosbc.ca.

fuel technology

Sludge contamination in marine diesel fuel

By Tim A. Rivard, MBA, President, Fuel Right (Canada) Limited and Bob Tatnall, PE, President, Fairville Products, Inc.

M

arine diesel fuel systems are prone to fouling from sludge formed in fuel tanks. High humidity, condensation and contamination during fuel transfer allow the accumulation of water and bacteria in diesel systems. Two major groups of organisms contaminate fuel systems: bacteria and fungi. This article focuses on bacterial contamination only and does not address fungal infections.

Water and diesel fuel are the key ingredients in the formation of biomass often referred to as sludge (Image 1). Many mariners use biocides as their first line of defence without really understanding what is happening in their fuel system.

Sludge is composed of water, degraded fuel, bacterial slime, and a variety of bacteria. Some of these bacteria biodegrade fuel to produce food while others excrete organic acid. The results are a decrease in the fuel’s stability, an increase in a fuel’s acid number, and an increase in corrosivity.

The presence of sludge in a fuel system has an economic impact often overlooked. Sludge leads to filter plugging, MIC (microbial influenced corrosion) and a breakdown of fuel and loss of properties (colour, pour point, cloud point, thermal stability). Sludge also results in the loss of additive performance.

Despite all the potential issues with the presence of sludge, effective treatment and control is rarely employed.

Despite all the potential issues with the presence of sludge, effective treatment and control is rarely employed.

Some may use filtration and biocides but few really understand sludge and how to deal with it.

Cause and dynamics

Bacteria are natural residents in diesel fuel. They are most commonly

introduced through vent tubes, water intrusion, and fuel transfer. Chemicals from water in the fuel form a conditioning film on solid surfaces. This occurs within minutes after the fuel has been introduced to the tank. This film allows free-floating bacterial cells to attach to the surface, at which point some of them begin to generate a starch-like substance often referred to as “slime.” This is the “glue” that holds the sludge or biomass together.

Soon, other bacteria start to move into the slime layer. Some of these get their food from the fuel, while others get their food from the by-products of the fuel users. The result is a rather complex ecology of life forms growing in the sludge. Some of these bacteria produce organic acids, which may promote pitting corrosion of underlying steel.

The pitting corrosion, only observed under sludge accumulations, accounts for most fuel tank failures.

As sludge builds up, bits of it slough off and travel downstream, where they adhere to surfaces — perhaps a filter — and start to grow new sludge. The most common indicator of a severely fouled fuel system is complete filter plugging resulting in engine shut-down.

Operational impact

MIC (microbial influenced corrosion) As described above, sludge in contact with steel or cast iron leads to corrosion. The exact role of the bacteria themselves is a matter of much research and conjecture, but it is clear that very high rates of metal penetration occur under biologically active sludge.

Image 1: The forward day tank of a Lloyds + 100A1 Class Tug undergoing cleaning due to bio-mass contamination.

Filter plugging Bits of sludge that have landed on a filter will then grow and slowly blanket the filter, sealing it off and stopping the flow of fuel. These growths may initially appear as tiny specs and not readily visible to the naked eye (Image

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 47

fuel TECHNOLOGY 2). As the sludge film matures, the filter takes on an overall slimy, black coating (Image 3). At this stage the filter is plugged.

If corrosion of iron or steel is occurring in the fuel system, the corrosion by-products (Image 4) will also transfer to the filter medium, further accelerating filter plugging.

Treatment and control The typical preventative maintenance program for diesel systems is to change fuel filters at intervals based on hours of operation. When filters plug prematurely, filter changes are simply

made more often and are usually based on engine warning devices.

There are preventative measures that one can take to help control the problem. These range from mechanical cleaning of the fuel, treatment with biocides, or the use of a novel filming amine technology.

Fuel polishing Mechanical cleaning of the fuel in the tank is often called fuel “polishing.” This involves circulating the fuel through a bank of graded filters, perhaps including final filters as fine as 0.5 microns. Some polishing systems

Image 2: Filters from a boiler system operating on ULSD. Fuel Right® filming amine technology was used to treat the fuel and over a three-month period, the bio-film (opaque) was dissolved and filter plugging issues were eliminated. The fuel was sloughing deposits of bio-mass downstream and prematurely clogging filters. The biofilm is opaque. The weight of the filters reduced from left to right due to reduction of bio-film loss.

Image 3: A marine filter/water separator plugged with bio-film. Treatment of the fuel with Fuel Right® dissolved the existing sludge in the fuel tank.

Image 4: Filter with evidence of corrosion deposits (due to its brown colour). It is completely plugged with bio-film and corrosion particles.

48 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

use a centrifuge as the first stage to remove larger particles and free water.

The result, as proudly shown in little jars by the polisher operator, is that the fuel goes from looking dark and murky, to clear and bright.

The advantage of fuel polishing is that, if done right, most of the free water is removed from the fuel tank.

The disadvantages are 1) it is expensive, 2) it requires system down time, and 3) much of the solid sludge is left in the tank. That residual sludge can grow again very rapidly once the system is returned to service. The bottom line: Fuel polishing alone is only a temporary solution.

Biocides Biocides are commonly promoted in the marine market and can be somewhat effective if used properly. Biocides alone are rarely effective against established sludge, as they struggle to penetrate the biomass to directly contact the bacteria in order to kill them. Using certain dispersants along with biocides can give somewhat better results — but most systems simply treated with biocides continue to have some degree of sludge fouling and corrosion.

The advantages of biocides are that they require little or no system down time and do their job while the system is running. They can be very effective against certain bacterial or fungal problems caused by free-floating organisms. The disadvantages are that they are generally expensive, may provide operator exposure risks, can lead to reduced performance if used repeatedly, and they tend to give only marginal benefit against established sludge. In some laboratory studies, even the best biocides have produced only marginal benefit even when treating a clean system before introducing fuel contamination.

Once a tank has been treated with a biocide, the tank should be cleaned to remove any remaining dead debris or sludge — and then re-treated to address the sludge residues left after cleaning.

Filming amines Filming amines have been used as corrosion inhibitors in industrial water systems for several decades. They have

fuel TECHNOLOGY also been used for that purpose in fuel additives by at least one major additive supplier. Research begun in the 1990s found that certain combinations of filming amines have other useful properties for fuel systems — for one thing they literally dissolve the bacterial slime, thus releasing the entrapped water and degraded fuel into the fuel.

Because the released particles of solid fuel and droplets of water are miniscule, encapsulated and treated, they do not cause problems in the operating system and simply go through and burn harmlessly in the combustion process. Equally as important, the film formed on surfaces by the treatment defeats the conditioning film that precedes bacterial attachment, so no new biomass (sludge) forms. The results are a cleaner and trouble-free fuel system, long filter life, and no corrosion inside steel tanks.

The advantages of filming amine treatment are 1) it is relatively inexpensive, 2) less concern for handling safety and environmental effects if spilled than with biocides, 3) no down-time during or following treatment and 4) benefits do not decline with repeated treatment.

The amine film remains on solid surfaces for perhaps many months, so treatment can be done at extended intervals.

Because the combination of amines has potent cleaning power, diesel users typically notice smoother operation, easier starting, and greatly reduced exhaust smoking. The amine film also protects against metal wear, normally a concern with ULSD as compared to the higher sulphur fuels. Finally, the amines are alkaline by nature, so acidic by-products of fuel deterioration in storage are neutralized, resulting in enhanced storage stability.

Each of these corrective measures has certain advantages — and limitations.

The best answer lies in using a combination of these schemes: Tank cleaning or fuel polishing to remove any free water in the system and at least some of the accumulated sludge and debris, biocides when needed to correct biological problems caused by free-floating microbes, and a filming amine treatment to finish the cleaning of the system and keep it that way. If only one of the solutions is to be used, the newer filming amine

treatment offers the most cost-effective and lasting benefits.

Summary

The topic of bacterial colony formation in diesel fuel systems is far more complex than this article can cover. The research in this field is extensive and this paper provides a very basic overview.

Understanding the economic impact that biomass contamination can have on an operating budget is the first step to exploring ways to remediate the problem.

The use of modern filming amine chemistry to dissolve and control sludge is likely the most economical approach to managing contamination in fuel systems. The programmed use of amines as a preventative measure in ULSD systems has proven over the past 18 years to be a very effective and economical approach to the prevention of MIC and formation of sludge.

References

1. Frederick J. Passman, PhD, “Microbially Influenced Corrosion and Filter Plugging — Don’t you wish they were easy to diagnose?”

2. Dow Chemical, “Microbial Contamination of Diesel Fuel: Impact, Causes and Prevention, Form 253-01246-10/01/03” 3. C. Foret, G. Stoianovici, G. Chaussec, A. De Bache, C. Zum Kolk, W. Hater, “Study of efficiency and stability of film forming amines (FFA) for the corrosion protection of the carbon steel in water circuits”

4. Diesel Fuel News, Jack Peckham, ULSD Corrosion; Microbes, Sludge, Biocides, Filming Amines Debate, January 2012

Bob Tatnall spent 30 years as a materials engineer with DuPont, specializing in corrosion, linings and coatings. In 1968, he first observed a little-known phenomenon called microbiologically influenced corrosion, or MIC. Fascinated by this destruction of metals and alloys by bacteria, Tatnall spent the rest of his DuPont career learning how bacteria and other micro-organisms interact in different environments. Through his collaboration with researchers at universities worldwide, he learned not only about bacteria, but also about biofouling, or the buildup of slime masses as a natural habitat for bacteria and fungi (yeasts and molds). Bob founded Fairville Products, Inc in the mid1990s and began research to develop the Fuel Right® technology we know today.

Tim Rivard’s first degree was in the Engineering Technologist, Mechanical and Material Science program from Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology.

He also obtained a cross-disciplinary degree in finance and economics from the University of Western Ontario as well as his Master of Business Administration.

Before taking on the role of President for Fuel Right (Canada) Limited, Tim’s career included international business development in 21 countries.

For more information about Fuel Right®, visit: www.fuelright.ca or email info@fuelright.ca.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 49

LNG FERRIES The MF Boknafjord: the world’s largest gas ferry

O

n December 14, 2011, history was written as the world’s largest gas ferry, the MF Boknafjord was delivered from the Fiskerstrand BLRT yard in Norway, to Fjord1 Nordvestlandske AS. A ferry that will change the everyday life of its users, according to the vessel’s godmother, Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, Norway’s former Minister of Transport and Communications.

The LNG-powered ferry was ordered in the summer of 2010 by Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 to serve the growing demand to move passengers and cars on the Arsvågen-Mortavika route, which crosses the Boknafjord in Rogaland County, Norway. In addition, the ferry would function as a spare vessel on the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route in Hordaland County. In 2011 alone, about 2.2 million cars and about five million passengers passed through the trunk. Adding this ferry to the existing two vessels on the ArsvågenMortavika route allows departures at 20-minute intervals instead of the previous half-hour frequency.

Built according to Det Norske Veritas’ Class with the following notation: +A1, CAR FERRY A, GAS FUELLED, CLEAN, RP, EO, R3 (nor), and designed by Multi Maritime AS of Western Norway, the MF Boknafjord measures 129.9 m long,

has a maximum width of 19.2 m and a capacity of 242 passenger cars or 22 heavy goods vehicles in combination with passenger cars. It can carry 600 passengers including staff and has a deadweight of approximately 1350 metric tonnes.

Ferries — a testing environment for engines Fjord1 has been considered a leader in the gas-powered ferry market since the first LNG-powered ferry, Glutra, was put into service in 2000 on routes further north. The ferry route serving the coastal trunk road in Rogaland and Hordaland Counties has, since 2007, been served by five Rolls-Royce LNGpowered car and passenger ferries from Fjord1. The MF Boknafjord will thus be the sixth gas ferry in this region and Fjord1 will have 12 gas ferries in operation along the Norwegian coast.

Rolls-Royce gained excellent experience with the LNG-fuelled engines in the five double-ended ferries in intensive service connecting the main road routes on the Norwegian West Coast.

Ferries are a testing environment for engines. “If you can survive the ferry cycle you can survive anything. The repeated heating up and cooling down puts a massive strain on the engines,”

50 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

says Odd Magne Horgen, General Sales Manager Merchant & Navy Engines in Rolls-Royce.

Ferries on the Boknafjord route need a high service speed to maintain the required departure frequency from each terminal, in this case 20.5 knots, therefore the larger capacity, second generation ferry MF Boknafjord features the latest and most advanced engine and propulsion technology.

This includes three Rolls-Royce C26:33 nine-cylinder gas engines, each rated at 2,310 kW which drive generators to power four Rolls-Royce Azipull AZP100 steerable thrusters.

The Multi Maritime monohull design has fine ends underwater, terminating in bulbs with the bulk of the displacement concentrated amidships.

Extensive studies and tank testing were undertaken in co-operation with RollsRoyce to optimize the hydrodynamic integration of the azimuth thrusters and the hull. The tank testing program was undertaken at HSVA in Germany and Rolls-Royce joined in to optimize the shaping of the headboxes that form the transition from the thruster underwater unit to the hull above. The design of these is crucial, in combination with the hull form and bulb shape, in achieving the required total efficiency.

A substantial reduction in resistance and propulsion power was achieved. As part of the program, the merits of outward or inward-turning propellers were compared, and the optimum thruster installation angle and toe-in or toe-out assessed. Unlike traditional doubleended ferries, where the propeller at the aft does all the work, the Boknafjord use Azipull thrusters, one located at each corner of the vessel, which have pulling propellers and streamlined underwater units that turn the swirl energy from the propeller water into useful thrust. Thus, they are a key to a raise of efficiency by more than 20 per cent and improve maneuverability.

In addition, the MF Boknafjord has a 2,850 kW diesel engine to give flexibility for repositioning transits away from gas supplies to relieve ferries on other Fjord1 routes.

LNG FERRIES Developing gas engines for marine propulsion The first generation Rolls-Royce gas engines, the Bergen K- series, released less methane than competing engines, but Rolls-Royce was aware of the desirability of further reducing methane slip, and so developed the C-series gas engines and the larger B-series in-line and BV- series V-engines based on the company’s lean-burn Otto cycle technology. Extremely close control of combustion in every cylinder at all times, design of the combustion chamber using the latest computer aided design tools, and optimized turbocharging, has cut methane slip to very low levels.

With the latest generation of marine gas engines, emissions of NOx are about 92 per cent less than liquid fuel engines, SOx is negligible as are smoke and soot emissions. Greenhouse gas emission is about 22 per cent lower than a comparable diesel engine. Other advantages of these gas engines include greatly reduced risk of oil spills, a cleaner engine room, and the absence of smoke. The Rolls-Royce marine gas engine ranges also fulfill the requirements for operation in Emission Control Areas (ECA) and the very strict IMO Tier III rules that come into force in 2016.

The MF Boknafjord is using substantially less fuel than the first generation LNG-fuelled ferries, with the reduction well into double figures. Because the C-series engines have much less methane slip than the older K-series, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is even bigger. This vessel can also carry more cars and passengers than earlier ferries on these routes, of the same overall dimensions, so the fuel and emissions per vehicle transported are also lower.

Bunkering Bunkering with gas can raise many concerns including the risk of explosion, as with other fuel types. However, all the good experience that has been amassed on LNG-powered ferries since the introduction of Glutra indicates that this might not be the greatest risk.

Rather, the worst case scenario is spillage which can potentially result in major structural damage because of the very low cryogenic temperatures of the LNG. For this reason, the bunker station on the MF Boknafjord has been sheathed

Rolls-Royce’s C26:33L natural gas engine, IMO Tier III-compliant and EPA-certified. with stainless steel which has the ability to withstand the low temperatures.

If there is any spillage, the liquid quickly drains overboard.

Fjord1 has invested in a dedicated bunker quay adjacent to the GasNor storage tanks, and typically the ferries need to be refuelled every week, a process which takes about three hours.

If tanker trucks are used instead, the ferries will need to be resupplied more often. Aksel Skjervheim, Head of Fuel Markets, GasNor, says: “Bunkering has worked out well, and there have been few interruptions in regular operation.

The gas ferries have been stable and reliable in service.”

Rolls-Royce has a world-leading range of capabilities in the marine market, encompassing design, the integration of complex systems and the supply and support of power and propulsion equipment. They are a leader in environmentally friendly LNG propulsion solutions for ferries, tugboats and short-sea shipping vessels. In BC, Rolls-Royce is proud to serve its marine customers from its main service and sales facility in Coquitlam and the newest service location established on Vancouver Island at the Esquimalt Graving Dock.

December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 51

naval architecture Building a bridge between design and operations

W

Left to right: Callum Campbell, Mark Mulligan and Massimo Vanfretti of Capilano Maritime Design Ltd. Canadian Ferry Operators Association conference in Victoria, ShipFare canwork just as well with container, cargo or any vessel on an identified, regular service. “It wouldn’t work as well with tugs or workboats that are on a random schedule,” noted Mark Mulligan, Senior Naval Architect and Executive Director of CMDL. “We first used ShipFare for a ferry project in which the owner wanted to evaluate various propulsion methods, for example, a comparison between natural gas and diesel to determine which made the most financial sense.” Campbell added that there was a flexibility built into the program to allow ship owners and designers to consider any version of

Rendering courtesy of Coda Marine Design Inc.

hat if you were able to set the passenger ticket price for a ferry before it’s been built?

Or know the price per container for a cargo ship while still in the early design stage? Being able to validate a concept design by understanding the financial implications of that design is an invaluable tool that just got a lot easier with the development of ShipFare, a proprietary software from Capilano Maritime Design Ltd. (CMDL) that benefits the design, procurement and operational stages of a vessel.

ShipFare is the brainchild of CMDL’s Massimo Vanfretti — a 25-year-old Naval Architect with a Master’s, Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture from the University of Trieste in northeastern Italy. “I first discovered this kind of approach to ship design during my classes at Trieste University,” said Vanfretti. “I learned how to approach ship design from multiple points of view — not just drawings and general arrangements — and when I joined Capilano Maritime Design, Callum Campbell and I worked on refining a software program that can accept a number of variables to allow us to explore different design scenarios and their implications on cost and return on investment.”

While the software was described in context of ferry design at the recent

ShipFare was first used in conjunction with the development of a design for a LNG ro-ro ferry concept to determine the financial benefits of natural gas over diesel.

52 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

fuel to determine which would be the most resilient to fluctuations in price.

The benefits of ShipFare are instantly recognizable: From a design perspective, the software will help an owner understand the financial performance of a concept design, even at very early design stages. “You’re able to track the financial implications of design decisions and continuously improve the financial model as the design develops,” said Callum Campbell, Senior Naval Architect with CMDL. “For procurement purposes, it allows for side by side comparisons of different designs or proposals and standardizes the decision-making process. For operations, by simulating different scenarios, ShipFare can provide immediate cost implications and easily reproduce details of expenses for an existing vessel, or an existing operation, to establish a rational for tariff costing or even optimize vessels to routes.”

So how does it work? Using the example of CMDL’s LNG ferry design, the process starts by inputting ship variables: basic geometric characteristics of the hull — length, breadth, draft, volume and particulars of the ship like desired passenger capacity or car capacity. Route variables (length of the route, size of crew and crewing costs, vessel speeds and the unit price for consumables), ridership variables (expected utilization rate of the ferry) and financial variables (inflation rates, financing interest and loan duration, insurance) are combined with

naval architecture a number of additional variables (for example, steel and production rates, material costs or maintenance) to come up with a projection of lifecycle costs that are customized to the operation of the vessel.

“...it’s taking naval architecture a step further...[to] provide answers to what kind of ship is needed and the optimum

and operations to come up with a better understanding of a vessel’s lifecycle costs.”

As with all software, Vanfretti noted that they are continually looking at new features to add and different approaches to the program. “We can study an existing ship optimized for a certain speed and route and see what will happen to costs at different speeds or we can look at changing input

variables like terminal arrangements, tax rates or a target rate of return that a ship owner would expect.”

To learn more about ShipFare, including a demonstration using your own variables, readers are invited to contact Capilano Maritime Design Ltd. for an appointment (please visit www.capilanomaritime.com for contact information).

features that will provide the best return on investment.”

“Based on the inputs, the software can explore different scenarios that can be addressed at the design stage — for example, resistance predictions, propeller selection, mechanical and electrical efficiencies and power required for the propulsion to estimate the number and the model of the engine required,” said Campbell. “A lot of the features that Massimo’s program does are part of the typical design cycle but it speeds up the process. It’s a bridge to operations – usually in design, we’re thinking of operation and routes and ridership but usually those are instructions that come from the owner of the ship. In this case, we actively seek out that information to inform the design.

So it’s taking naval architecture a step further by seeking more information about how the ship will be run, crew and operation costs, what kind of concession services will be available — all of these things will provide answers to what kind of ship is needed and the optimum features that will provide the best return on investment.”

Using the example of fuel versus crew costs, Campbell pointed out that if crew costs are very high relative to fuel costs, or vice versa, the impact on design decisions would be significant. “We’re able to play with those parameters and that’s new for naval architects. We’re usually thinking in terms of power and we rarely bridge over to fully understand what the operator is doing and what their financial models look like.”

“It’s a wonderful tool,” added Mulligan.

“It’s useful and new and, as Callum noted, builds a bridge between design December 2012/January 2013 BC Shipping News 53

ADVERTISERS ABS Americas......................................................................... 13 AMT — Advanced Marine Techologies................................... IBC Arrow Marine Services Ltd...................................................... 25 Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C................................... 35 ATP Instone.............................................................................. 6 BC Shipping News.................................................................... 4 Bernard & Partners................................................................... 8 BMT Fleet Technology............................................................. 36 Bracewell Marine Group.......................................................... 22 Canadian K9............................................................................. 4 Capilano Maritime Design Ltd.................................................... 7 Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia................................. 45 CMC Electronics..................................................................... 43 CN Rail................................................................................... 18 Company Wrench................................................................... 54 Corix Water Products.............................................................. 31 DP World................................................................................ 12 Fuel Right (Canada) Limited.................................................... 49 Geco Marine Ltd....................................................................... 7 International Sailors’ Society Canada....................................... 23 Jastram Engineering Ltd..........................................................BC Lloyd’s Register........................................................................ 9 Mercy Ships............................................................................ 38 Mission to Seafarers............................................................... 20 Nanaimo Port Authority........................................................... 11 Parrish & Heimbecker, Limited................................................. 54 Q3 Marine Training Solutions................................................... 32 Robert Allan Ltd...................................................................... 17 Rolls-Royce............................................................................ 51 Siemens PLM Software.......................................................... IBC SKC Engineering..................................................................... 42 SNC-Lavalin............................................................................ 20 Sperry Marine/Northrop Grumman.......................................... 53 Survitec Group........................................................................ 28 Tervita..................................................................................... 22 Vancouver Maritime Museum................................................. IFC

Visit us in Booth 1350 at Pacific Marine Expo November 27 - 29, 2012 CenturyLink Field Event Center Seattle, WA

BC SHIPPING NEWS

54 BC Shipping News December 2012/January 2013

Advanced Marine Technologies—Delivering World Class Products

Commercial Marine Sealing Solutions www.AdvancedMarineTechnologies.com

AMT Corporate +1.604.607.0091 USA Freeman +1.541.247.7078 PCM +1.425.743.9550

Engineered for Life at Sea Quality Steering systems

Custom refit for Wagner and all steering systems

service@jastram.com

www.jastram.com Designed and made in North Vancouver